Creative Mornings:

MENTOR

Featuring Dan Ellison, Durham-based arts lawyer with 25+ years’ experience. He’s advised artists, organizations, and nonprofits across North Carolina, all while championing arts accessibility. During his time instructing at Elon and Duke University, he created the Durham Audio Described Art Project, and has been a frequent speaker and writer on arts law (he’s even had his own column, “Ask the Arts Lawyer”!) He’s previously led the Durham Arts Council, Mordecai House, NC Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Durham Arts Place, and serves on multiple boards in our local community, always advocating for inclusive, accessible arts. 

JULY THEME: MENTOR

No one is born with all the knowledge and skills they’ll need to thrive in life. That’s why kids go to school. But we shouldn’t stop learning once we graduate. We need to find new teachers.

A mentor doesn’t have to be an expert or the top of their field. Just someone who’s been there and done that before. Someone to show you the way and offer a bit of advice and encouragement. Ideally, they’re willing to make introductions and mention your name when you’re not in the room.

Being a mentor is considered a way of giving back. But mentors get just as much out of the relationship, if not more. Beyond the satisfaction of helping, mentors also learn from their mentees. From a fresh way of looking at established practices to tackling new problems with a beginner’s mind.

So, ask for help. We all could use a guide as we climb. Find your mentors and be a mentor in return. Your plans for growth are more likely to succeed if they include lifting others up as you rise.