Lunch with my mentor
John Kieffer coping with the bitter cold outside Euston station
I met with John Kieffer today. As of today, he’s my mentor.
John’s a well-respected figure in the creative sector. He used to be the Director of Performing Arts for the British Council, and has an astonishing CV of accomplishments.
I particularly like the fact that he lists (in this order) his influences as: Professor Stuart Hall, Miles Davis, Mark Rothko and Joni Mitchell. They’re all on my various lists of “Greatest Ever…”
I have to say, the mentoring thing felt weird to set up. I’ve always encouraged my students to find a mentor – and I’ve long believed that you should always have at least one. Someone you trust to bounce ideas off, seek suggestions, introductions and advice from and generally just act as a guiding force.
I’ve had mentors throughout my career – whether they were aware of that role in any ‘official’ capacity or not. But John Kieffer was the first person I’ve ever actually approached and asked ‘would you please be my mentor?’. And that was a kind of a leap of faith (what if he said no?!).
