“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” — Oprah Winfrey
Mentorship goes beyond having a boss or a leader who tells you to do this and do that, It is more about being guided by an experienced person in a field. It is having someone lead you through the right path while helping you understand why that is the right path.
No one is an island of knowledge, every day we are expected to open ourselves to more knowledge. I remember as a kid trying to learn how to write, my mum would hold my hands as I wrote. She did that a couple times and then allowed me to try it on my own. I bet most of us had this experience — with teachers, siblings, families, etc and most of us still help the younger generation this way. Think of this as mentorship.
Are Mentors Necessary?
“My mentor said, ‘Let’s go do it,’ not ‘You go do it.’ How powerful when someone says, ‘Let’s!’” — Jim Rohn
Imagine you are stuck in a forest you are not familiar with and need to get water. You have a map and a compass, and with these you think you can get to the closest stream. Along the line, you come across a hunter who has lived in the forest all his life and graciously wants to lead you to the stream but with a different route that isn’t shown in your map. Would you follow him or trust your map?
Think of the hunter as a Mentor who knows the danger spots in the forest; he knows where big holes are located, where the traps are set, how to avoid the wild animals and many other things you probably didn’t put into consideration. You might get to your destination without him but you would definitely spend a longer time, more resources and might even get to your destination with so many bruises.
They say that a wise person is one who learns from the experiences of others and a fool learns from his own mistakes. Let your Mentor become your experience and this would secure a safer route for you to learn and grow.
Why then does a Designer need Mentorship?
Mentors provide support to mentees. He/She would always want to see you succeed and would always want to be there for you. When you have a design condemned and it feels like your skills are not good enough, they provide assurance and help you find hope.
“One of the greatest values of mentors is the ability to see ahead what others cannot see and to help them navigate a course to their destination.” — John C. Maxwell.
One thing most people don’t realize is that aside from the fact that you’d learn from a mentor, he/she would also open doors of connection. Remember how the best students in high school were always recommended to represent the school for competitions, that is how a Mentor always recommends a hardworking and productive Mentee for job offers and collaborations. In this vein, you would most likely be introduced to other designers you probably always wanted to meet.
Designers with notable mentors have a certain prestige that other designers don’t have. It brings forth some credibility to them. It may seem sordid, but this is a human nature.
Conclusion
Don’t be a designer in solitude, find excellent mentors and build great relationships with them.
