Amateur
Love of Amateur Life in Freedom
We initiate a comprehensive study about amateur culture whose trivets are amateur and culture. As jurists know, laws begin with an explanation of the basic concepts they contain. Like them, we will describe what we mean by the word of amateur. Also, remind the concept of culture. What is ‘amateur’? What is ‘culture’? and What about ‘amateur culture’? In terms of amateur, culture, love, freedom and social life are prominent.
What is Amateur ? Love
To introduce the concept of ‘amateur’, would be useful by referring to dictionaries. Macmillan Dictionary meets the word ‘amateur’ with the meanings of “someone who does something because they enjoy it instead of as a job” and “someone who does not do something very well”. Larousse Dictionary explains the word as “to be very interested in something” and offers “professional” as its opposite. Cambridge Dictionary also includes the meaning as “someone who does not have much skill in what they do”.
However, this study is not in the same direction with the dictionaries. We can consider the amateur as an indispensable complement for the professional.
Responsive Amateur Culture in Life
Edward Said argues that intellectual amateur can stand up to professionalism. Amateur means being ready to disapprove the comfort and profit-generating compatibility. Not with an expectation of profit or reward, but with an unabated curiosity and love. By seeing the big picture and refusing to be confined to a field of specialization. It is the willingness to act by inspiring thoughts and values.
For Said, the intellectual should be an amateur. According to him, amateur is a thoughtful and responsive member of the society who questions professional activities in depth. [1]
As in the old French meaning, ‘amateurship‘, is simply the love of the person who is engaged in what s/he enjoys. In many cases, amateurs can be more competent than professionals. Because they have a sincere bond with what they do.[2] They adopt their occupation wholeheartedly.
Amateur, essentially, thrives in the domain of freedom, not of necessity. Being an amateur means doing something for yourself and writing your own life script.
It means owning one’s own work not only at work but also in life. Also, being an amateur implies enriching yourself beyond a fortune. It is always about expressing oneself in the most honest way. Because it is a matter of heart it may be sometimes complex and turbulent .[3]
Amateur Culture ?
Amateur is valued and understood by a few. Andy Merrifield, Edward Said and Antoine Hennion are some of them. At the theoretical base, their opinions are unique and necessary to comprehend the amateur thoroughly. Besides, cultural dimension of the amateur is also important to create an amateur culture.
Next articles will explain why culture accompany with amateur.
Have a love-ly life with amateur culture.
Please share with us about become amateur.
[1] Said, Edward, Representations of the Intellectual, New York: Vintage Books, 1996.
[2] Merrifield, Andy, The Amateur: The Pleasures of Doing What You Love, London: Verso Books, 2017.
[3] Ibid.