At an exhibition pairing the works of Anselm Kiefer and Vincent Van Gogh, I was reminded of the power of mentoring. Kiefer, inspired from an early age by the works of Van Gogh, made a pilgrimage across the towns where Van Gogh lived and worked.
The two artists lived decades apart, yet were deeply connected.
Kiefer was seeking to understand Van Gogh – to see the world through the eyes of someone who had once created the extraordinary from the seemingly ordinary.
There were no meetings, no feedback sessions, no career advice – just a silent dialogue across time – one artist inspiring another to find his own way of seeing and doing. Kiefer simply followed the traces of a man he admired, saw the same skies, felt the same light – and then created something utterly his own.
That’s the essence of true mentoring.
A true mentor doesn’t create a replica; they evoke something – a spark, a curiosity, a motivation. Similarly, a true mentee doesn’t copy; they interpret. They are on the journey for themselves: learning, experimenting and hopefully transforming their experience into something original.
And often, neither realises it’s happening.
In organisations, you might be someone’s Van Gogh – influencing how they handle feedback, navigate conflict, or lead a team.
Equally, you might be tracing your own Kiefer-like path, learning from those whose examples inspire you from afar – in meetings, books, or podcasts.
So, ask yourself: Who might be learning from your brushstrokes – whether you’re intentionally guiding them or not? Whose art are you quietly studying?
Mentoring, at its best, isn’t about imitation. It’s about illumination and helping others see their own Starry Night.
I wonder if, when you saw the image by Kiefer, you immediately thought of Van Gogh’s Starry Night. There are clear similarities, but the materials/resources, colours and scale are all different.
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