“Enthusiastic Amateur”

In Show Your Work, Austin Kleon suggests adopting the spirit of an “Enthusiastic Amateur.”

This was a healthy concept for me because I became a “Stuffy Professional” early on as a music student.

The “Stuffy Professional” is bloated with ego — only on some grand stage can their art be experienced.

The Enthusiastic Amateur, on the other hand:

• Openly shares what they’re working on — more than willing to give anyone a ‘look under the hood’
• Is so excited, they don’t care what people think
• Can’t help but share what they learn, as they learn it
• Is energized more by process, than product

When I was in music school, I spent SO MUCH TIME in practice rooms, coachings, rehearsals, masterclasses, and lessons. Not once did I share any of that process.

But now when I return to music, it’s with a lighter — Enthusiastic Amateur — spirit.

With ego out of the way, I’m free to show the process…

And all the good stuff is in the process: insight, lessons, growth, and progress.

Amateurs [are] just regular people who get obsessed by something and spend a ton of time thinking out loud about it… Raw enthusiasm is contagious. The world is changing at such a rapid rate that it’s turning us all into amateurs. Even for professionals, the best way to flourish is to retain an amateur’s spirit and embrace uncertainty and the unknown.

Austin Kleon