Amateurs
Posted on | June 20, 2009 | No Comments
One of my favorite lines from my all-time favorite movie, The Big Lebowski, is when Walter Sobchak (played by John Goodman) keeps muttering “fuckin’ amateurs” when referring to people he has no respect for.
In reality, amateurs are a huge part of scientific and artistic life…and deserve a lot of respect. Charles Ives, one of the 20th century’s greatest composers, is technically an amateur; as he made his living by selling insurance. And there’s a long list of amateur astronomers who have made very important discoveries.
An amateur is simply a person who engages in something for personal pleasure, rather than financial profit. I’ve often wondered, in popular music today, where would we be without people like this? All the indie bands and artists that are on MySpace and CD Baby…most of them aren’t making a living at their art, they’re doing it for the love of it.
A majority of my clients through the years fall into this category, and some of them are as good as any professional band or musician I’ve mastered.
So if you’re doing something for the love of it — whether or not you aspire to financial gain or not — keep on with what you love doing. It makes a difference in the world.
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From Ohm to Om reflects the opinions of mastering engineer Paul Abbott, owner of San Diego's ZenMastering.
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