Established Working Artists…
(c) Creative Commons
How many times have you been in this situation?
Someone, generally younger or recently moved to town or someone who just heard your name but doesn’t really know much about you, calls or emails out of the blue and asks this:
“Hi, I’m new in town and want to do what you do and someone said you were good at this and I should call you? Let’s meet for coffee, tea or lunch? I’d like to pick your brain!”
Established artists, performers, writers, media producers will generall breathe a collective sigh… and then ask the question, what’s in it for me?
Yes, we’d like to help the world and new generations to continue the propagation of our artforms and professions but when you’re a freelancing independent or someone running a small nonprofit, there are only so many hours in the day.
So here are three guideposts to help in fine art of Brainpicking.
1) Research the person who you’d like to get valuable info from.
2) Offer them something in return… Offer to BUY them coffee, tea, drinks or lunch. Make sure it’s clear it’s your treat. Or better yet, offer to intern or do some volunteer work for them—and mean it!
3) Be very respectful of their time and set a limit. Try to ask something like: “Do you have time for a 10-minute phone chat? Or may I email you a couple questions that you could answer at your convenience or do you have time to meet for half an hour for a drink or quick lunch?” Don’t assume they have a ton of time. And definitely be brief about who you are and what you want. No angst-driven long emails about what you want to do with your life and what makes you special, please.
Now none of these suggestions may work. It really depends on the person and what work or life deadines someone might have. Never get angry that doesn’t have the time. They’re most likely working hard to fund their bliss too.
That’s not to say I haven’t made some really good friends from folks who have sought me out because they knew and respected my work and offered to buy me latte or cocktail. But when you get several emails a week from folks, you learn to be quite choosy when responding to these requests.
Ultimately, the best way to pick someone’s brain is to find out if they do consulting work or if you can get funding to consult with them on a professional level. If that’s not an option then try these three rules and always respect their time…and be nice out there!
July 21, 2009 at 1:34 pm
I’ve had lots and lots of newbies contact me and want information on “how to get into radio” or “become a journalist.” At first, I agreed to every request. But it’s gotten to be a lot of work and I am much more selective. In recent months, I volunteered to mentor a reporter through a professional journalism organization. When a contacted the reporter, she seemed distracted on the phone. When we set up a time for me to evaluate one of her stories, I prepared and called her at the appointed time. She wasn’t there and didn’t return my call or email. A month later, she wanted to start over and try again. I declined. Another young reporter wants to have coffee with me, but takes tennis lessons on my only free weekday night. I offered to work around her schedule, but haven’t heard from her in weeks. Ugh.
July 21, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Nicely crafted list. My personal approach has always been to be free with my advice to those who ask politely. One consequence has often been future leads from those same persons.
One item to add to your list: Say “Thank You” after the brain-picking session. A formal card or other handwritten note is always groovy, but at least an e-mailed acknowledgement of the value of the time is an important bit of manners that some recent beneficiaries of my time have blown off.
July 21, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Todd, that’s just plain rude! Now I have to say about 1 out of 3 people who contact me to help them are respectful of my time but more often, there’s an attitude that I should meet with them just because they ask. I say you’re being way too nice and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with setting your own guidelines of who you want to talk to. Honestly, there’s no excuse for the reporter not showig up for an appointment. That’s grounds for firing in the real world. And someone not giving up their tennis lesson to get a free lesson in working in radio? Nuts!
July 21, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Michael,
Yes! a thank you note means so much. I put thank you notes and cards on my wall. I think an email is fine but something you receive in the mail thanking you means so much more! It really helps reinforce the idea that mentors haven’t wasted their time and are appreciated. This makes the mentor more likely to help someone else in the future!
July 22, 2009 at 2:04 pm
I struggle with this. Yes, I want to be magnanimous and supportive of new producers, but maybe because I work in a very specific area of radio production, the requests I get all seem go something like “I’m into the same kind of music and want to produce a show just like Echoes.” My internal reaction is usually, “So you want me to help you compete with me?”
It’s not kind, but just the sad reality that it’s a small pond that can only support a very few fish…at least if you’re trying to make a living out of it.
July 22, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Kimberly,
Thanks for your honesty. Experienced independent artists can relate to this. It is a small pond so what makes emerging creatives think that folks who have worked hard building up a track record and working in the industry would gladly help someone to compete with them?
The key to a good mentorship is to have something in it for the mentor. I suggest interning, volunteering or paying for consultation time is a good opening to getting mentorship. Now that’s not to say working creatives haven’t helped someone out of the goodness of their hearts. But that usually depends on a well-written and researched query that leads to a personal connection that would inspire a mentor to help.
Take care, Dmae
July 27, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Though I still consider myself a bit of a “newbie” I have started to get some requests for mentorship. I struggled with it in a very similar way that you did, Dmae. Sometimes it turned out great and lead to opportunities for all parties, but many times emails went unanswered and good, solid advice unappreciated. This is one reason I put together a lot of my answers to frequently asked questions in zine form. I have no problem asking for a couple bucks in return for this little collection of information. And it’s great to be able to hand off something already finished to people who just want to know the basics.
August 29, 2009 at 7:42 pm
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