MODERN MENTORSHIP: Willingness

(Meaningful) mentorship involves a level of trust shared amongst individuals. However, societal -isms have skewed the definition to reflect a sharing of knowledge where “powerful” individuals are given the right to cultivate others with their ideology. The altered state has truth but the authentic meaning of mentorship lies heavily on intent. A significant difference occurs between distributing knowledge with those asking for aid compared to unsolicited instruction to others on how to operate in life, just because the assumption is made that one knows better or enacts unequal dynamics due to their stake in power. For example, youth experience the latter more frequently as their narrative holds the assumption of powerlessness. A typical childhood is built upon following everything you are told. From one's guardians to the media, youth are inundated with messages that can deconstruct their sense of power. Here the culprit, adultism. However, as mentioned previously, our societal -isms construct systems that enforce toxic relationships, especially cultures embracing the frameworks of capitalism where self-centered behavior is admired over collective benefit. 

It is important to honor the advantages mentorship offers but similarly import to discuss the unstable foundations. These interrogations help target the components needed to provide mutually beneficial mentorship. These discussions can evoke uncomfort, therefore, individuals tend to sway away as they reveal much needed unlearning. 

Personal Perspective

Childhood revealed that humans could disappoint, mostly because they were imperfect. However, at a young age that innocence is supposed to vail impurities until each year dissolves that clouded view. To some this is known as adulthood. My experience introduced me to reality faster than others. Here, I witnessed many use their superiority as a teaching tool that was blinding their ability to be empathetic. Reflecting back, I did not have many direct mentors who I was asking for guidance, as the disappointment provoked separation, instead I would look to myself for answers. Yet, I had many indirect mentors (teachers, family, friends, etc.) that I absorbed their knowledge and guidance due to circumstance. To me, mentorship is psychological. Even a mentee requires willingness. The potential to be a mentee warranted disappointment, something I decided to avoid. 

With this negativity, what changed my mindset? Music. 

I cared about music because it was reliable, would not disappoint or abandon me. Because music could be present in my life, I was willing to invest in that partnership. 

When I became a musician, the flute helped open my heart to accepting and asking for support. The journey took some adjustment as one of my earliest mentors was my first private flute instructor, who today is a dear friend of mine. At first the advice on how to play better had overwhelmed me, as most people tend to inhale criticism with a distorted lens, but my teacher created an environment where feedback was embraced and displayed an actual desire to understand if the instruction was being absorbed. If not, my words were taken towards adjusting the curriculum. As I continued to grow and more willing to accept assistance, a trend occurred from those people I identified as mentors: genuine care for my voice. With the level of empathy shared between each mentor, whether due to being in a similar profession or their overall behavior, they saw me as their equal. These types of relationships have qualities of cyclical mentorship where each individual’s experience is amplified as useful and worthy of consideration. This asset-based approach to mentorship focuses on the diversity in thought, culture, and traits.

Future Thinking

To end, I quote my colleague Jordan Campbell’s soon-to-be published paper: Being the Question-Asker and the Answer-Giver: Cyclical Mentorship in Arts and Cultural Education:

​​The role of mentorship has long been a part of the discussion within the arts, culture, and education fields. One facet of arts and cultural education focuses on opportunities for youth’s creative development that honors each individual’s innate artistry and intrinsic worth. Recently, gatherings and initiatives have asked questions related to how the field can change its approach to mentorship to better reflect these values: What is being done to break down the hierarchical structure of mentorship that limits personal and institutional growth?

While this shift in thinking cannot be achieved in a short time, the benefits to the field will be vast and long-lasting. These guidelines ask the field to take bold steps toward “walking the talk” of arts and cultural education.  By expanding our definition of mentorship to include the cycle nature of knowledge-sharing through intergenerational dialogue, we are able to lift up the creative wisdom and unique ideas of voices from across the sector while honoring individuality and innovation. 
Advancing further into the role of an emerging leader signals that my influence on those around me will grow, therefore, how can I use my privilege and access to meaningfully uplift? First - I must honor that everyone has the power to influence, which means that I will have to balance the roles of mentor and mentee for life because humans are meant to be lifelong learners, second - my mentorship must resonate from a mutual place where everyone has ownership on the growth, and third - honor where people are at to avoid actions of expectation and assumption, which can greatly remedy disappointment and promote empathy. These three ideas I pledge to implement.