S4. Are You an Amateur? Do You Pursue Deeply Some Activity for Love, Not Money?
Please take a few minutes to tell me and other readers about your primary amateur activity.
Dear friends,
The word amateur is often used to connote that the person is not very good at some activity. But properly, the term has nothing to do with being good at it or not; it has to do with loving it. The word derives from the Latin amare, to love. Think also of the French word amour or the English amorous.
To play is to do what you like to do, and to be an amateur is to play seriously and regularly at what you like to do, with an aim to do it well. I would like here to collect stories about amateur activities to contribute to future letters on amateurism.
If you are pursuing deeply, persistently, and passionately some activity because you love it, not for money (it’s OK if you make a little money from it), please take a few minutes to tell me and other readers about it in the comments section below. In your comment, please address these questions related to the activity:
1. What is the activity?
2. How long have you been engaged in it?
3. In an average week, how many hours do you devote to it?
4. What do you love about this activity?
I look forward to your story, if you have one to share.
With best wishes,
Peter
PS: Please share this with amateurs you know who might contribute their story. And, if you haven’t subscribed to Play Makes Us Human, please do that now.
I am a knitter, and have knit for at least an hour almost every day for the past 27 years. With nearly every project, I try to learn a new technique or skill. I recently designed a pattern, for the first time! (It was a reversible scarf with hearts on it for my little niece.)
People often tell me that I should sell my creations on Etsy or open up my own online shop, but I would never do that because, first, no one would be willing to pay for what high-quality yarns cost, and second, I would no longer be able to knit for my own enjoyment, which is what matters most to me.
There are many reasons that knitting is meaningful to me:
1. As mentioned above, it gives me the chance to stretch myself and learn something new.
2. It is a skill that is passed along from person to person. I learned to knit from a dear friend, and I have taught others to knit too. I’m in a craft group, and we share tips and help each other learn new stitches and techniques.
3. Knitting produces objects that we can wear with pride or give to other people. Knitted gifts connect us with each other!
4. Knitting allows us to support small businesses and craftspeople. I always buy yarn in small shops, and I often buy hand-dyed yarns made by local artisans.
5. Knitting is a creative outlet that is enjoyable for its own sake. I love the feel and colors of the yarns and the textures of the patterns.
Thank you for this opportunity to talk about amateurism! I’m looking forward to the other responses!
My main amateur activity is Israeli dancing. I started in 1977, because graduate school was too sedentary and I wanted to meet women. I met my wife dancing, and we still dance. Often three live sessions a week, at 2-3 hours a week, and one Zoom session per week that goes 2-1/2 hours. A few times a year we go to dance camps, where over four days we will dance 20-25 hours.
Dancing is physical and musical. Since the 1980s, there has been a lot of "cultural appropriation," incorporating pop songs, hip-hop, Salsa, and other varieties of music and movements. Regardless of whatever else is going on in my life, dancing grabs my attention and I can enjoy it. You feel bonded with other dancers, even if you rarely speak to them. Going to another city and finding a session is a thrill. Strangers will hug you if they have seen you before, even if it was only on Zoom! Many dances were choreographed recently, but session leaders also put on dances from the 1980s and 1990s, and even before that. It is very difficult to keep up with the repertoire. I have pride in what I can remember (probably more than 200 dances) and frustration at what I cannot remember (dozens of other popular dances). The large repertoire makes it an activity suitable for a few addicts rather than for a casual dancer. It was much easier to learn and much more of a social scene back when I started.