Mentoring & Professional Practices

What we do for you

• Provide mentorship support tailored to professional artists, helping them clarify influences, inspirations, and creative motivations.
• Use Ivan Barnett’s unique dual perspective—as both a studio artist and a gallery founder/creative director—to bridge artistic insight with business acumen.
• Offer empathetic guidance alongside practical and inventive strategies to strengthen communication with galleries, mentors, and peers.
• Help artists better understand their studio practice, workflow, and output in ways that align with their creative and professional goals.
• Guide artists on how to seek and approach mentors who can support their growth.

What engagement looks like

• Mentor Guidance: Practical coaching on how to approach, connect with, and learn from potential mentors.
• In-Depth Conversations: Exploring your artistic influences, why they matter, and how they shape your work.
• Dual-Perspective Mentoring: Ivan seamlessly shifts between the artist’s lens and the gallery/business lens, offering balanced insights.
• Studio Practice Exploration: Discussing what your daily creative life looks like—alone or with others, your communication methods, and how you balance business with making.
• Relationship Review: Examining how you engage with galleries and whether your representation aligns with your purpose and values.
• Temperament & Output Assessment: Understanding the rhythm of your production, your working style, and how mentoring can improve sustainability and confidence.