Choosing your Mentor: A letter to creative minds

Abstract

Choosing the right mentors is one of the most important decisions in the life of any creative mind. This decision often paves the way to several aspects of individual professional career and intellectual development. However, the choice is often done unawares and involuntarily, also because it is taken by individuals at the initial stage of their profession and with still limited information. The fact that it is often dictated by available opportunities (e.g. in which academy, school or university a student is accepted, or which grants he or she manages to obtain) does not help. This paper invites young people to pause and think about mentorship. It suggests to assess actual and potential mentors against a few basic questions. Perhaps also senior intellectuals, artists and scholars will find it instructive to ponder if the mentorship they provide is what their students and junior colleagues actually need.