Mentoring the creative spirit

DARA HEALY

“I fell in love with photography as a teenager and spent countless hours on various social media sites, discovering the type of photographs that I was drawn to. From there, I decided that I no longer wanted to spend my time simply scouring the Internet for interesting photos, I wanted to create them instead.”

RECENTLY, during a casual conversation with a young photographer called Mandisa, I was struck by the need for more widespread mentoring of young artistes.

In my view, Mandisa’s images are uncanny, with their ability to capture the essence of a place or to reach into the spirit of the person being photographed. I remember staring at one of her images of a street in Cuba. There was no caption, so I wasn’t exactly sure that it was Cuba, but somehow I knew.

I was jolted by the fact that the photo caused me to remember my time walking on that street, in a very visceral sense. When she confirmed that I was correct, I felt in awe that a person so young could create in such an instinctual manner.

However, as we talked, I asked whether she did work for private clients or advertising agencies. Her frustration was obvious as she explained that it was difficult for someone with her inexperience to break into the commercial aspect of her craft, as people were often reluctant to pay her what she thought she was worth.

Fitzroy Hoyte is one artist who understands the need to establish such synergies between the experienced artist and the novice. His beautiful artwork was on display this week at his studio on Carlos Street in Woodbrook, and as part of the exhibition he included works from seasoned artistes, and made sure to feature works by young talent as well.

Hoyte is concerned about providing a space for young voices, since, as he points out in an article by Rhianna McKenzie, “it is difficult for artists to attain the attention and recognition they deserve … as galleries often dictate what kind of work they display.”

Further, he understands that mentoring of young artistes is not only an essential aspect of helping them to develop their skills, but the guidance of a more seasoned practitioner helps them to better negotiate the harsh realities of getting your work to be seen and become commercially viable.

Mentoring is described by one organisation as “a structured relationship that brings young artists together with established artists who offer guidance, support and encouragement aimed at developing the confidence and competence of the emerging artist.”

I have often written that our society is not set up to properly appreciate artists or serve as a catalyst for their growth. Further, it is instructive that Hoyte, so well respected today, admits that formal education did not really allow him the space to express who he was as an artist.

Although the focus for mentoring is often on the needs of the very inexperienced, in our work with artists or community groups, we have realised that adults need guidance as well. As part of our creative process, we ensure that they understand the meaning behind the movement, the chant or the costume.

However, increasingly we have recognised that we need to go beyond the performance and provide support to artists in marketing their work, personal development or managing the business aspect of their talent. But perhaps more importantly, they need to appreciate the historical and ideological basis of their craft; otherwise they will just be doing a dance or reciting a pierrot speech.

Veteran practitioner Ronnie Joseph recently made the point with regard to our traditional Carnival characters. “Look at the bookman. He’s there walking around, writing in a book, but does anyone know why he’s doing that? The costume is usually intricate and impressive, but what purpose does this character serve and does the person doing the portrayal understand it?”

But who will teach them? It is also true that many practitioners are themselves not aware of the spiritual or other origins of what they are putting on stage, so this is an area that requires specific attention, especially by the organisations responsible for managing and promoting our culture.

I am thus grateful to the talented Mandisa for inspiring me to pursue a more structured approach to mentoring of young artistes. To borrow Hoyte’s expression, guiding her and providing a space for her to create will no doubt be an exciting journey; it is one that I look forward to sharing with you.

Dara Healy is a performance artist and founder of the NGO, the Indigenous Creative Arts Network – ICAN