I have been going through these threads and forums since I joined and a common theme I noticed was that I should find a mentor to help me learn and get better. But something that I haven't found on this resource is a way to find a mentor. I don't know anyone who does a whole lot of serious work or tagging... Should I just throw my shit up and wait for people to come to me?
Essentially, yes. But it can depend a bit on what you feel you need to be mentored on. I would say read all of these threads that give basic advice on safety, etiquette, skills, etc., and make sure you practice all of that as you go. I don't know many experienced writers who are going to associate much with a toy who doesn't at least show basic skill/knowledge. People will check you out over time if you show heart, stick with it despite people giving you shit for being toy, and you demonstrate basics. You can also find some stuff on youtube, found the attached as a quick example. It has some other vids linked to it, I'd suggest checking out the Vers ones only because I'm familiar w/ his shit and he's pretty fresh, did not know he youtubed instructional shit.
If BS was like it was back in the day, you'd probably be able to get the criticism you need to get better, style-wise, on here. Sadly, the site is really inactive nowadays, although there's still a few on here willing to give good crits. As for learning the ins and outs of actually going out and painting, experience is probably your best teacher, although you can definitely take in some knowledge from other sources like Youtube, as Ray pointed out. In all honesty, you're probably not going to find a true mentor, so just use everyone ahead of you, everyone better than you as an example of what you should be striving for. Let that be your 'mentor.'
I usually just PM someone if I need help. Check Dixie Chicks tour 2016 on http://dixiechickstourdates2016.com/. Concert dates are available here as well.
lurk spots. introduce yourself in a chill way. ask to bomb together. bomb that night and be down as fuk. prove your cool and even though ur control is toy prove your mentality aint. hound dude for next 5-10 missions bc he prolly wont b hitting u up. get introduced slowly over the next year. find the dudes you wanna hang w (lots of em wont be your type ) put in work, push your self, express you wanting to get better. it will happen. Mentor seems too formal .its more like friends who are good at graff and have already been painting for 4+ yrs. the knowledge gets passed down slowly and sometimes from different ppl who may be younger than you. just number 1 rule is dont let it get to your head.
id be down to mentor you at least show you what i know personally and help you get on your feet.. pm me