I will admit that when I first considered the idea of participating in the ELEVATE mentorship program, I was hit with a wild extreme of emotions. The idea of a mentorship, especially under David whom I respected highly, was exhilarating. I knew that between his expertise and encouragement and my no-excuses work ethic, something really good would happen. At the very least, I would end up with some strong guiding principles and a lot of good sketchbook starts.

On the other hand, the mentorship program scared the heck out of me because who was I to take myself seriously as an artist and invest that much time and money in something that was meant for "real" artists? What if, through this program, I discovered myself a fraud? What if I failed at everything he threw at me? What if, what if, what if...

You know what? I took the chance, committed to the program, felt all those things all the time (exhilarated, scared, nervous, excited, motivated, uncertain, driven...), and came out the other side stronger and more grounded, more clear about my work in a series, and fiercely protective of my creative time.

The image above, from the Cellular Stories series, is a small detail of a larger piece I don't actually like. I won't say the piece is a failure, but it's definitely not doing it for me. I can't seem to find my way into or out of it. I'm totally lost. But rather than shut down or feel a sense of frustration with it, I see it as a curiosity.

And that's what the mentorship program fostered within me...a desire to know more. And then to honor that desire. Feed it. Fuel it. Never let it go.