Amateur VS Professional

     My latest reading in The War of Art by Steven Pressfield including a discussion of what is an amateur and what is a professional.  This is really good food for thought, when do you know what you have taken that turn to become professional?  I am about to submit my pieces of artwork at the Spencer Fair tonight for consideration of prizes and ribbons.  When I worked on framing this past weekend, I pulled out the book with the rules of the contest and the title of the page is written: "Adult Domestic Arts & Crafts for Amateurs".  I had not noticed this before and my thought was "how does the fair define the word amateur?"   Maybe there has to be a certain fame associated with your art form and name.  Maybe you are selling and making money.  Now that I am thinking about it, I scanned the book cover to cover and did not see a definition of what is an amateur.  I guess it is believed that if you're an amateur, you know who you are"!
     Steven Pressfield states this: "The amateur plays for fun. The professional plays for keeps."  "To the amateur, the game is his avocation. To the pro it's his vocation."  "The amateur plays part-time, the professional full-time."  "The amateur is a weekend warrior. The professional is there seven days a week."  "The professional loves it so much he dedicates his life to it. He commits full-time."
     This is all wonderful food for thought.  My dream is to be able to do my art all the time, to wake up in the morning and get going painting, drawing, creating, whatever it is, all day long.  That day will come, and for my faithful readers, you will watch my process and see this come to fruition.  I long for the day when the only things I can submit in the Spencer Fair are my baked goods, my canned jellies or jams or my hand knit sweaters, because I will be known for my art work and I will be a professional artist!