Be an amateur

It is not the lack of love for your work that defines you as a professional. It is the deep learning you undertook to become a professional. It is the level of skill and care you bring to the work. It is your membership in a scholarly association.You can still be an amateur in the (perhaps obsolete) sense of lover.Related reading:Matthew B. Crawford (2009) Shop Class as Soul Craft Penguin.Richard Sennett (2008) The Craftsman Yale University Press.First published on my website in 2015 https://jovanevery.co.uk/be-an-amateur/For more content like this, sign up to the monthly newsletter: jovanevery.co.uk/newsletterFollow me on Twitter: twitter.com/JoVanEveryFind my Facebook Page here: facebook.com/JoVEAcademicCareerCoachJoin the Academic Writing Studio: academicwritingstudio.co.ukFor more advice, support and perspectives like this, sign up to my free monthly newsletter: https://jovanevery.co.uk/newsletter To find out how short chunks of time can revolutionise your writing, take the FREE 15 Minute Writing Challenge course: https://jovanevery.co.uk/15-min-writing-challenge/ Or join the Academic Writing Studio community: https://academicwritingstudio.co.uk  Support me on KoFi here: https://ko-fi.com/jovanevery  I'm no longer on Twitter, but I'm on Bluesky here: https://bsky.app/profile/jovanevery.bsky.social Find me on Linked In here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jovanevery/  Or follow along on Facebook here: https://facebook.com/JoVEAcademicCareerCoach