Wednesday, January 29, 2025
I’m often torn between what it means to be professional or an amateur. Professionals are certified and paid for their skill and knowledge. An amateur is a hobbyist. They dabble and experiment. They do something as a pastime. There are no high stakes, no penalties, and the reward is simply in the love of action. I wonder if life itself is professional or amateur.
Does one ever lose their love of doing, simply because they get a certification or a monetary gain? I believe living is more hobby-like. It’s improvisatory and experimental. The Latin root experiri– means ‘try.’ Trying implies there is no reward nor penalty. It’s the best attempt, and there is never an ultimatum of reward nor punishment.
If you call it a performance, you deceive yourself in the mental trap of achievement/failure. A so-called performance is yet another ongoing rehearsal for the next ongoing performance, and so on. A hobbyist flows in the spirit of play, discovery, and leisure. Life is for the hobbyist and the amateur. The “professional life” is insidious. Amateur has its roots in the word love or amor. You love it if it falls apart, and you love it if it works. Nothing separates the amateur from love.
If life is experimental, it’s trying. If you are going through trying times, you’ve got high stakes. But just think of it as pastime. It’s easier than that. It’s no stakes. It’s all love. When did the adult take over and start making life “professional?” When did the hobbyist stop dabbling and start ramping up the pressure? The myth of professionalism needs debunking. The hobbyist is on her workbench, tinkering, being leisurely, and loving the pastime. High stakes are for amateurs.