Every summer in our neighborhood, we have a home that roughly once a week becomes a backyard club. About thirty to fifty people will come and hang out to listen to a Mexican musical band play into the night. The band is wonderfully amateurish.
Yes, that’s right.
Downright amateurs.
I say that with respect and admiration.
The lead singer will launch into a particularly romantic song and his voice will go sublimely off-key. It’s just a hair north of grating, which makes it fantastic to listen to. No vocal correcting machine, no special effects or anything else. Just heartfelt and totally emotional. I love it.
An amateur is a person who pursues something as an avocation and not a vocation. The latter is something you do to make money. The former you usually do for the love of it.
People call other people amateurs in a derogatory fashion. Being an amateur does not negate the ability to be passionate about what you do. And obviously amateurs give rise to professionals when the decision is made to pursue something for the money. “Going Pro” is the term used when one crosses that threshold into a world where one is paid to meet certain expectations. The skills of Iowa basketball star Caitlyn Clark will not diminish when she becomes a WNBA star. But she will leave the world of amateurism for professionalism. The expectations will change and so will some of the thrill of witnessing her breathtaking skills in an amateur arena.
What is it about amateurs, especially in the world of art, that falls prey to such derogatory insults? Well, the misconception is that being an amateur means you are just plain bad at what you do. The Mexican band I hear every summer is not bad. They entertain and bring joy to people. The music is not polished to any degree, but that doesn’t mean it is unrehearsed. That authenticity is also what makes them so enjoyable. There’s an earnest honesty to their workmanship I, as a professional musician, admire.
One of the joys I have had with making The Mr. Marty Show is asking people to contribute who, along with yours truly, are amateurs when it comes to making a weekly show. We strive for something that is honest, community-based and yeah, it is not slick. I enjoy that vibe because honest amateurism is in itself something rare. Mainly because the idea of being an amateur at anything is considered wrong in this “I have to be perfect” world. Will The Mr. Marty Show evolve? Will we all get better at what we do? Probably, if we can keep it going.
The same could be said for Strung Out. I am passionate about interviewing passionate people, the majority of whom are amateurs when it comes to their passions. That is something that I find so important in a world in which we idolize polished and packaged people.
Enough of it.
Amateurism calls for dedication and a passion for doing something for the love of it. Being an amateur sometimes comes across even better than the person who is paid for “Going Pro.” Because amateurism should be forgivable for its flaws. Professionalism has no room for flaws.
We now live in a highly judgmental and unforgiving world. Our expectation is that amateurism is a quick stop on the way to professionalism because one is better than the other. Being Taylor Swift, the professional musician is better than being the amateur musician “Swift Taylor.” That’s only true if you choose to be swayed by such artificial expectations.
Dare to be an amateur.
Dare to love something enough to pursue it.
Grow and flourish in your amateurism.
And be kind enough to honor and enjoy the amateur in others.
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