I think we all need mentors and models and that we have to be very careful our pride does not get so big that we cannot ask others for help.

If you create or design, if you want to make things, or want to invent something cool, I hope you will remember that none of us is a whole, super-capable hotshot. We really don’t have to be completely self-sufficient. It is rather important to lean and also support. And give and take. It is okay to take advice from others who may help to shape you in your creative life. Support for your creativity begins with a certain kind of awareness and personal growth. Sometimes a desire to be individualistic makes it difficult for creatives to seek advice or counsel from others but it may increase your productivity and it may help you grow. So link up when you can, and mentor other creatives and maybe reach out and embrace some new positive friends, or role models, or venture outside your small circle. It is hard to grow and expand in your creative life when you have no one but yourself to follow. Spend time around people who lift you up, people who are positive. You don’t have to do a creative journey alone.

Roberta Wilmore, Make-It Springfield Executive Director