[Harp-L] Re: Harp-L Digest, Vol 41, Issue 63

["Rebecca Davis Winters" <wordworkshop@xxxxxxxxx>]

What is a professional? That's such a great question, and I have truly
enjoyed reading the various answers and perspectives given here. It's a
question that many creative people ask at some point, especially when they
begin presenting their creative work for public consumption. I am not much
of a musician - my harmonica playing qualifies as back-porch wheezing at
best - but as a writer I have asked myself about the nature of a
professional.

I like the definition Steve gave when he said: "I have been a pro bassist
for 40 years. The definition I came with is that an amateurs have the
freedom to play any music they like, whereas pros generally have to play
what they're hired to play."

For me as a creator, the difference between amateur and professional status
came when the thrill of having my work in the public eye was no longer
sufficient. No longer was I satisfied with being published for no payment
save that of a byline and some exposure. Professional status is, I think,
tied to economy. An amateur does it simply for the love. While a
professional may have the same love for his/her work, he or she is also
doing it for the money. Hence issues such as that mentioned by Steve: a
professional's output will necessarily be affected, if not driven, by market
demand, whereas an amateur is not relying upon his/her work for a living and
might sometimes have the luxury of greater artistic "purity".

Try to make a living doing what you love, and you may well end up playing in
a bad lounge band - or, in my case, writing safety procedures for a chemical
company - in order to pay the bills. The love is still there, but
professional status means that the love has to be balanced with the dollar,
if one wishes to maintain that professional status.

--
Rebecca Winters
Winters Word Workshop
http://blindowl.informe.com