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Living on the Edge by Giant Ginkgo

If you are suddenly charged with landing a plane after the pilot collapses, and you are talked through the process by air traffic control, I’ll bet those fast-learned skills will be permanently burned into your psyche.  Not to mention, a successful landing would give you a tremendous confidence.  Well, alright, maybe you’d have to throw out your pants and never fly again.  (Boy, extreme metaphors can get you into trouble!)  At any rate, this would be an example of learning on ‘the Edge’, where you learn by doing, jumping in, getting your feet (and probably most of your body) wet.

Step a little closer… closer…

‘The Edge’ is a situation where you barely know enough to make it by.  It’s where you are trying to keep up and learn from those vastly better, faster, smarter, and more advanced than you.  The Edge is jumping in the deep end of the pool, sink or swim.  These can be situations find yourself in, but even better, situations you cultivate and covet.

In some ways, you are requiring yourself to move faster than thought.  You don’t have time for self-doubt – roadblocks and restrictions have to be lifted by necessity, and sometimes, you just have to drive right through them.  You take chances without over-thinking outcomes – there is no choice, and you ignore fears which might hold you back because fear is not a luxury you can entertain.  Your brain can operate in some surprising ways when forced to, where no other option exists.

Okay, brain. You don’t like me, and I don’t like you, but let’s get through this thing and …

I have a story of my own that illustrates this idea.  I’m a guitar player, and as the cliche goes, a horrible sight reader (I’m in a 12 step program).  I was invited, last minute, to sit in on a recording session where the bass player was suddenly unavailable.  I figured they knew me and my shortcomings (and this was on bass, not my main instrument!) and I thought it would be a session with simple charts and improvisation – no problem.  The “charts” turned out to be quick grand-staff print off’s from a sequencer, and required me to sight-read in the bass clef (WHAT?).   I was surrounded by some incredible musicians, true veteran session players – it was a nightmare situation!   Because it was on a tight deadline for a TV show, there was no time to ‘figure it out’…  it just had to get done, now!  I tried to stay calm, but I felt like a dump truck had parked on my chest.  At some point, I realized I was either going to play, or run out of the studio screaming, wreck any reputation I had, and forget a career in music.  The choice was not really a choice after all – I grimly focused on the sheet music sitting on the stand before me and accepted my fate.  It was pretty embarrassing, but something quite remarkable happened after a few cues – I just ’started’ reading in the bass clef.  It was as if by accepting and letting go, my brain said ‘Ok, let’s just learn this bloody fast then!’.  It was by no means a heroic turn, but once I was able to think back on the event without cringing so hard I’d hurt myself, I marveled at this sudden ‘ability’.

I’m sure we’ve all been in situations where we were on the Edge.  We committed to doing something that we perhaps weren’t quite ready for, where you had to learn on your feet, where you got by just by the skin of your teeth.

And now for a contradiction…

Sometimes, you want to avoid the Edge.  There are times when you have to perform perfectly, and where a mistep could result in disaster.  However, the one thing the Edge makes you prepare for is – anything.  You get good at being agile, flexible, adaptable.  Thinking creatively on your feet, making hard decisions fast.  It also makes you build and maintain your ‘lifelines’ – those you can call on when you know you are up against the wall and you need saving.

This is perhaps the best lesson you can get from the Edge – that you need to prepare for the Moment.  If you arrive somewhere and your big chance arrives unexpectedly, and you aren’t ready, that might be the last chance you get.  Imagine yourself at the place you want to be, and that place being the Edge – will you survive?  Succeed?

Photo by Paul likes pics

I wanted to share some of my thoughts on mentors and internships, as my own experiences have been very powerful and rewarding.  Looking back, I was surprised by how little I knew about the value and process of mentoring and having a mentor.

I was very fortunate to take part in the Guild of Canadian Film Composers Apprentice/Mentor Program, and to have been matched with a mentor (the singular Donald Quan) who challenged me in all the right ways.  I spent most of my six week internship in a state of constant terror – I was repeatedly thrown into the deep end of the pool and expected to swim, but had a chance to ‘crash and burn’ in relatively safe environment.  The amount that I learned and the things I experienced in that time could not have been gained any other way, and certainly nowhere as quickly.  It was learning and doing on the edge!  I learned some hard lessons very fast, and discovered holes in my game.  I also learned my strengths, and found out how far I could push myself and the depth of my endurance and perseverance.

My experiences showed me that some of the most important elements in building a career in a creative field are time spent interning, and establishing and building relationships with mentors.  These are certainly very important in industries which require a tremendous amount of time and luck to ‘break in’, and where a single introduction can mean the difference between having a career or not.  If you look at the careers of most accomplished creative people, the odds are very high that they had a mentor (in many cases, more than one) who played a big role in that success.

So -  what are mentors and mentees, what is their relationship, and what is the function of an internship?

A mentor is typically described as a person with considerable experience in a field, who acts as a guide, counselor, and trusted friend.  In many ways, a mentor can also be a coach.  To what degree a mentor is any one or combination of these things depends largely on their personality and style, and what they think they should be providing.  The internship process is very intimate, and the experience can vary quite a bit from situation to situation.  A mentor may give advice, counsel on career direction and big decisions, and help during challenging times.  During the internship they can provide opportunities to see behind the scenes and even to get one’s hands wet doing work at their level.  They can open doors by introducing a mentee to people in their network, and (if one is very lucky!) provide work.

An intern or protege’s role can be as varied as the mentor’s, and again depends on the mentor and what their expectations are.  During an internship, a mentee is there to be a human sponge, soaking up as much information and getting as much experience as possible, while at the same time doing whatever asked of them by their mentor.  How much one gets out of the deal is largely up to the mentee – one has to be willing to trust their mentor and accept what they are shown, and find value in every bit of advice and every task given, no matter how seemingly mundane.  What a mentee provides a mentor might be as simple as assistance in some area (read – grunt work!), anything from clerical to organization to actual creative work.  Further, for anyone that has worked in any capacity as a coach or teacher, you already know there is great reward in helping someone and fostering a career, especially if they are eager and passionate, open, and willing to learn and try new things.

Here are what I believe are some important traits of a successful mentor/mentee relationship:

Trust and openness

One must trust one’s mentor, and believe in them.  One also has to be open to what they have to say and show you.  Some of it may shock you, some of it may seem “irrelevant”, and may even run counter to what you thought was true about the industry.  Be open to a different point of view – you can evaluate your experiences afterward, but if you don’t allow yourself to be open, you won’t learn.  Don’t go into it thinking you ‘know better’.

A passionate desire to get involved in anything

Jump in!  Don’t hesitate!  Say yes!  This is a time to learn and try things out.  You are still in a place where you can make mistakes without terrible consequence.  Don’t say no to things because you don’t think they aren’t valuable or you’ve “done it before” (you might just learn something new!) and definitely don’t let fear guide you.  If you feel overwhelmed, scared, and just a little out of your depth, you’re doing it right!

Active seeking

Show you are looking to learn, looking to improve.  Don’t sit and wait for stuff to happen – get involved and create opportunities.  Think of ways to give back even as you are being given so much.

Awareness

Make leaps of thinking and faith, see how things connect, and be on the lookout for any opportunity.  Don’t let your brain sit idly while someone leads you by the hand.  Things that may escape the notice of someone not aware and processing their experiences may turn into wonderful things down the road.

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If you have the chance to experience an internship or you have met someone who is willing to be a mentor, I think you’ll get much more out of your time if endeavor to be the best protege possible, and develop and show the above mentioned traits.  It will also show your level of committment and that you respect and value the opportunity.

Do you have any happy or horror stories to share about mentors, mentoring, and internships?

Photo by Gaetan Lee

I’m a big fan of seeing people succeed at whatever they are passionate about.  To me, it is in a way like watching an athlete perform – there is an elegance, a beauty, a truth in the Universe in the movement and their grace.  They flow – they are in their element.  It also gives you hope, because if they can do it…

A common challenge for creative people is the lack of support they encounter as they build their career.  Amazingly, the most likely source of support is from strangers or acquaintances.  I believe that the hesitation of family and friends to pledge unconditional support does stem from a place of love and concern, but it manifests itself negatively almost every time – as judgment.  We see someone about to take a risk, and we are worried – moreso because we judge creative risks to have a low ‘return on investment’, so to speak, and that it’s a ‘waste of time’ or will end badly (drugs, depravity, desperation – you guys are creative types – you know how we live).

Which Witch is Which?

I think one of the big challenges in trying to lead a fulfilling life is learning to tell the difference between Fears - those things which make you afraid because they are actually dangerous and/or a bad idea, and those which you fear because they are new, different, challenging, and may result in (GASP) ‘failure’.  If you ask an entrepreneur, these last are called ‘opportunities’, and ‘failure’ is simple a natural part of the journey to ’success’.  There is no easy way to learn to tell the difference – it’s a matter of being very honest with yourself and listening to your intuition.  You will eventually be able to judge your fears with good accuracy, and I’ve made it a recent habit to always say ‘Yes’ to doing things which terrify me for all the right reasons.

What does this have to do with support?  Well, a lot of people don’t know how to tell apart their fears, and their fear for you takes over – that you’ll fail and be unhappy, that you’ll end up in a bad place, that you’ll blow the family fortune, or even (and possibly more often than you’d expect) that you’ll be a big success and they’ll feel lousy for not having taken a chance on their dreams themselves – dreams which they let die long ago for all the wrong reasons (fear of ‘failure’, being pragmatic).  Now, I’m not saying people should enable foolhardiness – again, this is one of those times when you have to see fear for what it is – is there a justifiable reason you are afraid?

Hector Projector

Now, by virtue of who this blog is intended for, I doubt I’m going to convert anybody who is not on a creative endeavor into being a Champion of the Dreamer.  But I think it helps to know where they are coming from – that fear.  It’s not really about YOU, it’s them and their own ’stuff’ that they are projecting on to you.  So what to do?

Do everything from a place of love.

Do it for yourself, don’t rely on outside support to do what you do.  Treat it as a nice ‘extra’ if you do receive it, and cherish and nurture that in people – it’s a rare thing.  That’s important too – to realize it’s not a given that people will support you.  Learn to give yourself support by judging your own stuff less critically, and by letting the work be a reward in itself.  And, even more importantly – GIVE AWAY WHAT YOU WANT – if you want support, support others.  It’ll come back to you, in such abundance it will surprise you.  It’s one of the weirder laws of the Universe – if you want something, give it away.

Quack quack

Let the negative roll off your back (you were wondering what the heck ducks had to do with this, eh?).  I mean really: let it roll off and dissipate (no baggage hanging around for future bitterness) – and this is a challenge.  Let it go.  Again – it’s not easy and it does take practice.  But if you are going to succeed, you are going to have to keep at it – and if you are going to keep at it, you’ll need to build thick skin – for rejection, and for those who just don’t really care about you or your work.  Work hard, but learn to move on quickly if you’re not getting anywhere.  Approach things without expectation and with no emotional attachment to the outcome – do it for what you love to do, not for what you think you should get.

No Island

But that’s only part of the picture – you need some sort of sustenance, support – you can’t be completely self-sufficient, you just won’t make it all alone.  Seek out you champions and supporters.  Actively look for people and groups that are aligned with your values and goals.  They will become your support structure, and provide guidance and direction when you need it.  Find a mentor in your field – they will help you in real ways that others cannot – on an emotional, and practical level.  Surround yourself with positive, inspiring, motivated people who themselves have goals that they are not giving up on.

Come on people now, smile on your…

Finally, I really want to encourage everyone to… ah… encourage everyone!  Try to jump in with genuine excitement and enthusiasm the next time someone describes their latest pet project, album idea, business plan, film treatment, or whatever.  It’s a small thing, but having that support, even a token ‘Sounds awesome!  Go for it!’ can make a huge difference to opening up creativity and improving chances – don’t perpetuate limiting beliefs – perpetuate passion, creative energy and love.

OK, time for a group hug!  … and maybe some Gravol for the nausea?