::The Mentorship Program::
Welcome to the Mentorship Program at Trace Studios! Here you will find information about the program and a few perks that await you if you choose to invest in yourself and come on this journey of growth and creative self discovery.
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So how does this Mentoring work?
Mentorship is a commitment. Think of a mentor like a combination performance coach, creative consultant, motivator and “planter of creative seeds” who can help you see blind-spots and turn obstacles into opportunities so you can make leaps in your journey to success that you would not otherwise find on your own.
It is a commitment to yourself and your road to success and an investment in your creative potential. The insights and ideas that come from our sessions will surprise us both and comes from the collaborative process I believe mentorship is all about.
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What Kind Of A Commitment Is Required?
You can do a six-months or a one year mentorship with me. Six months is a minimum commitment for us to see substantive changes, not only in your work, but in the way you think about your career and where you want to be. It is a commitment that runs both ways, as I will be able to invest time and resources towards helping you achieve your goals.
The second part of our commitment is we will meet once a week for two hours to discuss a wide variety of topics, including progress, setbacks, client issues, road-blocks you may be having, creative ideas and how to achieve them, practical “tips & tricks” on lighting and on-set rigging (for example), post-processing techniques and much more.
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My Commitment To You:
I typically like to reserve a portion of our time together to discuss what you find inspiring creatively (this is the Show & Tell portion of our time). We may not need the full two hours each week, but that time is reserved for you if we do.
So grab a cup of coffee ☕️ (or your beverage of choice) and we will discuss what you need and want to know about most. And in between our weekly meetings I will be working hard on thoughts and ideas and inspirational things I think will help you on your way, and sharing those in our community and chat platform.
*I am also available via messaging, email & phone or video call for emergency in-between meetings as needed.
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Come Join Our Community Of
Like Minded Creatives In Our
Creative Café
Once you have signed up for either a six-months or one year mentorship, you will be invited to join the creative cohort we have built to help you with interacting with like-minded creatives and sharing information and links to useful content, inspiration, and helpful advice if needed.
Think of it as an open-air Creative Café where lots of cool stuff is shared, kind of like the café life of Paris in the 1920s (but with modern tech! 😉)
As with anything worth your creativity, you will get as much from this mentorship and community as you put into it. Your success is up to you.
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About Your Mentor:
For my “About” page you can click the link here and read all of the relevant stuff. What I want to say to you here is that I have been where you are. I have faced all the same struggles and issues you have in being a working creative. I have worked with some very big clients and agencies, as well as smaller clients and designers, sold work in galleries, won some awards for my work, did an Artist-in-Residency in New Mexico, and taught students in numerous different classes in a professional photography program where I developed the curriculum for each class. That is just a small part of what qualifies me to offer an outstanding experience in mentorship.
But most of all and more important than those accomplishments, I have a genuine passion for seeing you succeed and surprise yourself in what you are capable of achieving creatively.
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Testimonials From Students & Mentees:
Brian Watkins:
“I feel like Trace was just the one I needed to help me through the place where I was in my photography at the time. His wide range of understanding gave me the confidence I needed to push myself, that I could also learn all this. He took time with my specific needs and he did this with others, tailoring each meeting to each person’s area of struggle or weakness. He is very patient, personable, and expressed true interest and concern.”
“I’ve since gone on to open my own portrait studio which I know was significantly due to the help I received from Trace working out specific issues I had giving me the confidence I needed to move forward. I will always have these memories and benefits of having his guidance.”
Betty Girardeau:
“I got so lucky because Trace Aiken found and chose me to mentor. At the time he was one of the Masters in a now defunct amazing on-line photography learning experience called the Arcanum, which based on the ancient concept of Master and Apprentice. The apprentice wannabe would apply with the hope that their sample of submitted work would catch the eye of one of the Arcanum's Masters. What a fantastic experience this became for me. In 2014 when Trace became my mentor, I could only describe myself as a person who loved creating with a camera but somehow had not been able to find a way much beyond what I could best describe as a week-end/vacation photographer, certainly not an artist who uses a camera to create.”
“By the spring of 2020, thanks to the hours that Trace spent with me critiquing, prompting, encouraging, suggesting, and definitely inspiring me, I had completed both levels of the apprenticeship program, finished a fifteen minute music video using my images to visually describe the music, and had developed a desire to be more than a "duffer" photographer and the curiosity to continue to grow and mature in this field. There were many times, especially after my husband died, that I thought I would quit, but with kindness and understanding, Trace, who had by then gone beyond being just a mentor, to being a dear friend, would not let me do so. During my active time as one of his apprentices, I got to meet some of his others. What a diverse group we are in both style and accomplishments, ranging from food photographers, photography tour guides, authors of books, and much more. I have watched these others grow and become more than they ever thought they could as a person behind a camera, as well, thanks to Trace's guidance, help, and encouragement. To be mentored by Trace Aiken is a gift beyond measure.”
José Manuel Santos:
“Meeting Trace Aiken was a life-changing experience for me that I will never forget, and for which I will be forever grateful. For years he has been my mentor, not only in the universe of photography where he is a true artist, but also an inspiration in human relationships. He is a good man and extremely generous. He never gives up on those he loves. He helped me a lot, not only in photographic technique but also and above all in inspiration and helping me build my personal project of organizing photographic tours in Portugal, Pictury Photo Tours project.”
“It was with him that everything started, when he gave me the right challenge and illuminated the path that I now follow, where I can apply everything good that I have to offer to the world.
I don't have enough words to thank him for everything he has given me. I am sure that I will work with him again very soon.”
Nancy McGregor:
“Trace Aiken isn't so much a teacher as he is a guide, mentor, and unstinting master of photography. For some, it is a hobby. For others it is a profession. For Trace, it is a calling. And the voice he hears isn't heard by many in this dimension. Of course Trace can teach everything any other photography teacher can explain. He knows the nuts, bolts and angle of incidence.
He also understands the art of writing with light. These things are child's play for him. I often say he is a walking encyclopedia of photography. Yet, there's something else. It's hard to articulate, but the thing that sets him apart from any other teacher is the gift he has of showing you the value and origin of your own voice.”
“He teaches you to feel it when you hear it. Without that, I don't believe I could have trusted my own vision. I doubt one of my photos would have been one of the ones chosen by Communication Arts for a 2013 Award of Excellence. Over 5,000 photographers worldwide submitted work. 130 won, and of those only 10 were women. It was huge. I think I was lucky, not to win, but because I studied under this particular teacher. You see, it was Trace Aiken's ability which gave me mine.”
Amy Roth:
“Finding a mentor who ticks all the boxes - knowledgeable in your specific area, a good and patient teacher who enjoys the experience, someone whose personality meshes well with yours - is a tall order. I'm thrilled to say I found all that and more with Trace. Over the years he's mentored me in my food, beverage and product photography career, I've seen the quality of my images improve dramatically. I've gained the confidence to take on bigger clients and wow them with my deliverables. Beyond the nuts and bolts of photography, l've also learned how to run a studio, how to create practical effects on set, and so much more.”
“If you're considering a one-on-one mentor, you couldn't possibly do better than Trace! He has a wealth of knowledge gained from years of photography experience, plus, he's a kind soul who sees the best in everyone.”
AmyRothPhoto.com
Ineke Willeboordse:
“Trace has been my mentor since 2014 when I joined Trey Ratcliff's Arcanum.
In my development as a photographer Trace has been invaluable to me. His advice, critiques and teachings are always so good and so useful that it will always push me into a direction of higher level.”
“Trace is a great artist himself. His approach to photography as an artistic medium is highly original and unique. Through his life he acquired huge photographic knowledge and he is at all times extremely generous at sharing this knowledge.
During the Arcanum, as well as now, as a teacher, as a mentor and as a friend he is always there for me with as much photographic advice and help as I need. In short Trace is not only a great artist, a fantastic teacher and mentor he is also a warm and kind hearted human being. I am eternally grateful for his presence in my life.”
Stuart Godwin:
“I had the good fortune to meet Trace Aiken through an online mentorship program called "The Arcanum." Trace is a highly decorated and accomplished artist in his own right, and is able to see things the rest of us cannot. It's clear to anyone who is lucky enough to engage with Trace that he is a vast reservoir of creative enthusiasm and knowledge. He is one of those individuals that is able to inspire and educate at the same time, and we had some lively conversations about my photography. Most of all, Trace is a very generous person, both with his time and with his insights. Anyone working a program with Trace should consider themselves blessed.
Highest regards,
Stuart Godwin”
Kari Margrethe:
“About ten years ago you planted a seed that made my dream of becoming a photographer grow. I will always be grateful for that, because, without your mentorship, I couldn't have done what I have done, I wouldn't have become who I have become, becoming my self. So, thank you, from the bottom of my heart!
Love,
Kari Margrethe”
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"Trace has a way of inspiring one to go outside of one's usual zone of thought. With the pool project, the subject matter came out of a discussion of something as mundane as walking past the pool of my condo complex every morning on the way to work. That Trace was able to extrapolate that scenario into something bigger is testament to the way Trace's mind works; i.e. in a highly creative way.
I had no idea where this project was going to end up when I started it. The result was as much a surprise to me as it was for anyone else.
Good times."
Highest regards,
Stuart Godwin
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So, How Much Does This Cost?
If you have come this far, you are highly motivated and interested in a mentorship. As stated earlier I have two tiers of membership:
For a Six Months Mentorship Membership a fee of $1,500.00 is required.
For a One Year Mentorship Membership a fee of $2,750.00 is required.
(which includes one month free.)
Use my CONTACT link to email or leave me a voice message to setup a video call and discuss payment options and other perks of membership, as well as answering any remaining questions you may have. I look forward to hearing from you!
~ Trace