Chase Jarvis Chase Jarvis
  • Photos
  • Projects
  • About
  • Blog
  • Book
Chase Jarvis Chase Jarvis
  • Photos
  • Projects
  • About
  • Blog
  • Book

There’s nothing wrong with being an amateur.

As an alternative view to yesterday’s popular post, there’s nothing wrong with being an amateur.

I’m an amateur soccer player, an amateur cook, an amateur skier, designer, racecar driver, and flyfisherman. And I’m happy to be an amateur at all of those things. Actually I LOVE being an amateur at all of those things – it allows me to dabble, make a ton of mistakes, goof around, drop the ball, not care when something else might be distracting me etc.

Being an amateur at those things means I can be comfortable. It’s safe. There is no fear of success or failure. In each case actually becoming a professional overnight at ANY of those things above SOUNDS fun to me, but I know enough that the process of going pro at my hobbies above does NOT sound fun. The workload is too great, the road too steep. The path sounds too damn hard and the rewards don’t outweigh the effort enough to dedicate my life to it.

Being an amateur is the opposite of going pro. Going pro is….…uncomfortable, challenging, and requires laser focus. That’s not to say it’s not incredibly rewarding, but you catch my drift. Going “amateur” is cush.

Now if you’re out there wondering if you have what it takes to be a pro photographer, dancer, chef, whatever and this thought of keeping it amateur sounds the least bit tempting – stick to being an amateur. Someone who has what takes to be a pro and wants to do it would likely never be tempted by such a proposal.

Which one are you? Be the judge for yourself.

Related Posts

10 Things Every Creative Person (That’s YOU) Must Learn
051026_ChaseJarvis_einstein_writing_vlrgwidec
Writing Makes Photographers More Creative — 5 Easy Tips
Daniel Pink: The Power of Regret
Chris Hutchins of Chase Jarvis LIVE
Chris Hutchins: All the Hacks to Maximize Your Life
Chris Burkard on Chase Jarvis LIVE
The Wayward Path of Photographer Chris Burkard
Make Your Message Heard with Victoria Wellman

51 replies on:
There’s nothing wrong with being an amateur.

Comments navigation

Previous
Next
  1. Don Carter says:
    April 11, 2011 at 4:44 am

    A grizzly old golf pro that I play with occasionally gave me the nick name “the professional amateur”… Now I think I like it.

  2. Dow Jones says:
    April 9, 2011 at 8:58 am

    follow your heart and do what you love and the things u love more than the things u like you will spend the most time in and not worry about how many hours it takes you to learn and get better you just do it and then you look up and see all the things you have accomplished and realized that you have already made your decision and been on the path to being a pro by naturally just falling in love with what you do and then others will see the love you put into that work and will pay you for what you have you love to do!!

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/thabiznessimagery/

  3. Roy says:
    April 8, 2011 at 9:33 pm

    fwiw – – Finally realizing that I burned out on 3 of the hobbies that I so enjoyed that I turned them into an occupation has kept me from doing the same with photography. Much to the benefit of my family and myself. I shoot what I want, when I want, if I want. Post-processing is the dullest and most deadening of drudge work; I avoid it if at all possible preferring to be out with camera in hand looking for the next fun image. Still, people have asked for pictures to hang on their wall. That is applause, and that is payment enough. There are professionals whose work I admire but I do not envy them. For me freedom to be is a better reward.

  4. robin says:
    April 8, 2011 at 5:18 am

    amateur takes photos with their raw vision of life and for the hell of it – professionals do take photos of life with precission and makes a living out of it!!!

  5. Scott says:
    April 8, 2011 at 4:44 am

    I agree with where Chase is going in general, but not totally.

    Technically, the only difference between “amateur” and “professional” is that you get paid for what you are doing if you are a “professional”. Perhaps I could go so far as to say that you make your living from photography if you are a “professional” (and not just get paid for it).

    As far as I can tell, an amateur’s work can be just as “good”, just as “challenging”, just as “rewarding”, just as “uncomfortable”, and just as “stretching” as that of a professional.

    Many photographers strive to become “professional” as if it is some form of validation, when in fact it is not. Sure, there is some validation in people paying your for your work, but it may not truly be “your” work. For example, I would hate to have to take product shots day-in and day-out just to pay the bills. I have nothing against those that do, it’s just not what I want to do and I would get no “validation” from being paid to do that.

    I am very fortunate in that I do NOT rely upon photography to pay the bills. This allows me to select clients who’s work matches my own vision of what I want to create. Do I still charge? There again I am fortunate. Because I do not rely upon photography to pay the bills, I can set up a payment arrangement where clients make a donation to a mutually agreeable charity.

    So for me, the distinction between amateur and professional is more about the choices made about money, and less about the quality of the work.

Comments navigation

Previous
Next

Comments are closed.

BUY NEVER PLAY IT SAFE NOW!

Get weekly, curated access to the best of everything I do.

Popular Posts

20250611_CJLIVE_RoryVaden_Thumb_16x9_v2.5You’ve Been Focused on the Wrong Thing… Here’s What Really Matters
A person standing on a rocky outcrop, surrounded by dense evergreen forest. In the background, there are snow-capped mountains under a cloudy sky. Overlaid on the image, on the left side, there is text in bold yellow and black that reads: "THE CHASE JARVIS LIVE SHOW". The text is stacked with "THE" on top, followed by "CHASE JARVIS", and then "LIVE SHOW" at the bottom.Silent Saboteur: Why You Keep Breaking Your Own Promises
20240812_CJLIVE_AlisonFragale_YT_16x9Game-Changing Tactics to Elevate Your Status
20250327_CJLIVE_B&H_Syndicate_Thumb_16x9_v2.5How Sharing Your Work Can Change Lives Including Your Own
A smiling man in a blue shirt, positioned against a black background with bold white text on the right that reads "STOP WASTING TIME." In the upper right corner, a yellow box contains the logo "The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show." The image has a bright yellow border.The Dark Side of Productivity Myths Exposed
20241030_CJLIVE_BrianSolis_Blog_16x97 Ways AI is Transforming Creativity
20250611_CJLIVE_Failure_Micro_Thumb_16x9_v2.5What Most People Get Wrong About Failing Fast
20250220_CJLIVE_LinkedIn_Syndicate_Thumb_16x9_v2.5How Taking More Risks Can Unlock the Life You Actually Want
20250224_CJLIVE_AreYouOnTheRightPath_Micro_Thumb_16x9_v2.5Overwhelmed by Doubt? Here’s How to Quiet the Noise and Trust Yourself
20250224_CJLIVE_DontLetYourDreamsDie_Micro_Thumb_16x9_v2.5Don’t Let the World Kill Your Dreams — Here’s How to Fight Back

Daily Creative Projects

© 2024 Chase Jarvis. All rights reserved.

My New Book Is Here!

This book is a powerful compass for embracing risk and creativity in all aspects of life. Chase shows us how to step out of our comfort zones and become who we were meant to be.

SOPHIA AMORUSO
Serial Entreprenuer
NYT Best Selling Author of Girlboss

BUY NOW!

My New Book Is Here!

This book is a powerful compass for embracing risk and creativity in all aspects of life. Chase shows us how to step out of our comfort zones and become who we were meant to be.

SOPHIA AMORUSO
Serial Entreprenuer
NYT Best Selling Author of Girlboss

BUY NOW!