You Are Such An Amateur Artist
It doesn’t matter how far you go as an artist in your career…
You will always have that element of being an amateur.
“Gosh, how dare he condemn me like that” I just heard the guy at the back holler.
Sit down Restless Geoffrey… and allow me to explain.
There is nothing derogatory about being labelled an amateur artist.
Our modern culture is partly to blame for our misinterpretation of what amateur actually means or represents.
The word Amateur essentially comes from the Latin verb, “amare”
Which means, “to love”.
So… to be an amateur artist simply means…
“To do what you love doing”
It is actually a word to describe “experience”
Not “achievement”.
Slightly profound huh
I think so too.
Being amateur is not about how well you do it, but about how much you enjoy doing it (wink).
That’s called being an amateur.
Being amateur is based more on the quality of your experience…
Not the quality of your performance.
So what the difference between being an amateur And a pro?
A pro loves what she does MORE than an Amateur does…
Because a pro sits down and does all the Mundane stuff in order to uphold the inspiration and to maintain a routine.
A professional loves what she does, but also knows what she does.
An amateur only loves what she does.
Being an amateur is groovy to begin with
But think pro
Professionals don’t have to deal with criticism because They look at their work objectively.
They KNOW they are not their art
That’s a pro
A pro is patient
A pro contributes to her work EVERYDAY
An amateur waits till the weekend
A pro don’t make excuses
They make hay while the sun is shining
Think pro
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Happy Holidays Cakuart
As always Carl you give me inspiration! Your articles are wonderful and very insightful, I always look in my inbox for your emails. It is great to receive insight from another artist and not just some gallery owner who is trying to tell you what it takes to succeed as an Artist. I wish you much success in 2010 and many more years to come!!!
Best Regards,
Glenda Freeman
My objective is to simply erect the signs so passing artists can see in which direction they “can” go. Without the signs, we are tempted to turn around and go back, which is what a lot of people do.
Additionally, I like to remind artists, “What do you want to remember for? For doing what you loved or for avoiding it?”
For many, it’s not important to be remembered. But then again, it is important if you are you going to be remembered for not doing it.
Essentially it’s about being your true authentic self, not trying to retail your work for the highest possible price.
Thank you for your comments Glenda. You are quite a star yourself. All the very best for 2010. I hope you decide to stick around and contribute again to the CAKUart camp (wink).
Strength and honour,
Carl