There are a lot of positive experiences out there with people connecting with other people who are a little more experienced in something they have in common. This allows for valuable insight into something that someone wants to achieve. For example, if you talk to a seasoned artist who has experienced the ups and downs of an art career, you may glean something valuable from the conversation. A sharing of knowledge. This is powerful.

However, to say that every artist “mentor” out there is helpful is foolish. When there is a need for something, not everyone who attempts to fill that need is on the up and up. I have heard a few horror stories of so-called art mentors that destroyed the will of the hopeful creatives that paid them their hard-earned money.

I’m not saying all artist mentors are this way, far from it, but please do not fall for big promises. Genuine people will not lie to you or make promises they cannot keep. It is a scam if someone boasts they can make you rich, famous, or respected.

In this podcast, I discuss my feelings about artist mentorship programs. Although there are a lot of really great programs out there for learning a craft and getting real-world advice from an artist, there are also a lot of scams. This podcast is a bit of a rant directed at those unethical money-grubbing jerks. Enjoy!