This is more philosophy than anything else. This randomness is a culmination of three influences that I’ve been paying attentional to.

First: I recently finished reading “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson.

Third: I watched a feature on CNN about “how to make more “makers”.

Now, what is going on here in these three things that I am trying to tie together? Well there are two things I take away. I’ve figured out by now that I am someone who likes to make things. Art, music, food…and when I don’t know how to do something myself, I want to learn the skills involved and create something. In the video from CNN they call this being a “maker”. It’s a great concept, and I think it is really important for all of us. They want to educate kids to develop more “makers” and hopefully drive them to be innovators. This is something we need in our country and personally it is something I want to keep in my life as long as possible. This is one of the big themes that really sticks out to me from Steve Jobs’ biography. Those guys that built the circuit board in a garage were makers. They created something their own and Steve eventually changed the world. He dedicated his life to the idea that it was possible and didn’t back down, which leads me to my second thought.

Know the difference between the words amateur and professional. If you think of yourself as an amateur then you will be one. Recognize that the titles amateur and professional mean the difference in the quality of your work/creations/passions and you are now giving yourself credit for the outstanding work you can do. Professional does not have to mean “money”. My photos can be professional and I may not make a penny from them. My Mom’s cooking can be professional without her getting paid by me. It might be a small distinction, but I believe the feelings invoked are a big difference. I never thought about this before reading David DuChemin’s book “VISIONMONGERS”, and now I know there is a difference between being a professional photographer versus a vocational one.