Posted by Rick Denney on November 21, 2001 at 16:45:16:
In Reply to: Please Indulge Me (***LONG***) posted by Dave on November 21, 2001 at 15:24:11:
I suppose that it is inevitable that I would reply to something like this, but as long as we are indulging you, you might as well indulge me one more time.
It is said that life is a comedy to those who think and a tragedy to those who feel.
Believe me, no profession is secure from the burnout that comes after 15 or 20 years of experience, when all of a sudden you realize that your best work is behind you and what you know doesn't matter to most folks anymore. Few people in any profession get to claim that their work will be remembered ten years from now, let along at the turn of the next century. And most folks invest hugely into expertise that becomes obsolete before they have a chance to recoup that investment fully. But we have the choice to get angry about it, or not. I've been there, believe me. It's easy to get angry when the young fellows get the glory for doing things that seem foolish to those of us who think we have more wisdom. But when I was young, there were angry middle-aged guys scowling at me.
Part of bring a professional is being willing to subjugate your artistic (or non-artistic) objectives to someone else's vision. Ansel Adams, the great photographer, knew that when he became a professional photographer (instead of the classical piano that he studied), he would have to buckle down and do boring commercial work to support his family. He was in his late 70's before success made that no longer necessary. If that subjugation makes you angry, then you have a long road in front of you. Personally, I'm recovered from anger, and I'm happy to "do my stodge" (as Vaughan Williams described it) if it makes other things possible.
Professionals are often precluded from fully realizing their talent and ability because the need to pay for groceries keeps them from challenging authority. At work I do what I'm told, and what I need to do to satisfy my clients. But as an amateur musician, I am free to be as musical or as geeky as I want to be. I like tubas. I like talking about them, looking at them, trying them out, tinkering with them, writing about them, reading about them, and occasionally even playing them. All those are valid hobbies for an amateur with no need for excuses or apologies. So, I'm like the fat, old guy in your softball example because I have no talent but will throw myself at the base and worry about the consequences later. And I'm like the dork because I'll explore the equipment and history in lieu of being able to hit the ball or run fast.
But I refuse to be the angry middle-aged guy, either as a musician or as a professional engineer. That position is only for people who choose to be there.
Rick "middle-aged but not angry" Denney
p.s. I have no idea what you mean by people who use the word craft being throttled. Any artist with no craft cannot realize their art, just as any crafstman with no art has no need of craft. It takes both.