{"id":20328,"date":"2023-02-23T12:03:51","date_gmt":"2023-02-23T17:03:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?p=20328"},"modified":"2023-02-28T10:56:42","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T15:56:42","slug":"find-a-creative-mentor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/find-a-creative-mentor\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Find a Creative Mentor"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

Kawandeep Virdee is a designer and artist whose skills defy easy definition: He\u2019s created murals<\/a> in Meta\u2019s office lobby, a robot creative coach<\/a> built on GPT-3, and a book of illustrations called Feeling Great About My Butt<\/em>. When he struggles in his unconventional career path, he always turns to his mentors. \u201cWe go out and we just get a drink or have a meal and then I’ll leave that feeling more hopeful\u2014like there’s more possibility,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Massive layoffs across industries mean that designers are feeling the stress in their own careers, whether they still have a full-time job or juggle a number of freelance projects. Finding a mentor can help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I spoke with game designer Dave Grossman<\/a>, creator of Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle; Sarah Klearman<\/a>, Senior Product Designer at Disney Streaming; Michael McWatters<\/a>, Senior Director of Product Design at HBO Max; and Virdee about how mentors can help guide you through your design career. And whether you\u2019re looking to find a mentor or be a better mentor yourself, these designers agreed that it\u2019s a worthwhile endeavor, as long as you follow a few basic guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Respect your mentor\u2019s time.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The one thing these four designers had in common was a lack of free time. \u201cPeople in the game industry tend to be overwhelmed most of the time,\u201d says Grossman, who started his career as a designer at LucasArts in 1989. <\/p>\n\n\n\n