On Fri, 30 May 2008 11:50:11 -0400, (Arch) wrote:

Arch... Might be over simplified, but to me, a professional is someone who sells
their turnings..
Good, bad, ugly, artsy, whatever..
I know turners that are much more skilled than I am that try to sell their stuff
but aren't successful..
OTOH, I look at some of the crap that I did 5 or 6 years ago, that people
actually bought, and I'm both amazed and embarrassed..

I think Micro$oft is a good example.. they turn out some good stuff and some
real crap.. but it all sells, so I consider them professional.. YMWV

We have worn out 'Art versus Craft', at least for the time being. To
further waste your time how about reviving another old and useless
debate? I mean "What defines a Professional Woodturner or separates him
from a Hobbyist"? It's not as simple as it looks, is it? The work of
some professionals can be amateurish. A hobbyist's work can be very
professional. etc. etc.

In my dictionary there are several definitions of a professional that
seem to overlap both hobbyist and professional woodturners. Do terms
like 'learned endeavor', 'expert', 'code of ethics', 'for financial
gain', 'livelihood', 'long, intensive preparation' 'full time' apply
only to the professional and rule out the accomplished hobbyist? Nope.

I thought I had found a definition or a reasonable understanding that
works for me, namely that a hobby is a pursuit outside of one's regular
occupation engaged in for relaxation. But suppose that a 'hobbist who
sells is retired or has no other occupation? This would apply to an
amateur turner as well, although there is a sense of lack of experienced
competence in the term 'amateur turner'.

For those who sell and call themselves hobbists, I ask why? For you who
consider yourselves to be professionals, how do you separate yourself
from accomplished hobbists who are retired or have no other occupation,
and sell a few birdhouses at the local flea market?

Of course the separation may not be distinct and only relates to the
degree of time spent turning and money made, but at what degree is the
difference apparent? Forty hours a week? Five hundred dollars a bowl?
What's your take? Please respond, even if you don't care. Orphan posts
even silly ones, are not much fun.

I've about decided that having a printed business card makes one a
professional. But suppose the work is amateurish? Here we go again.
Maybe he's an artist. Oh no, he's a craftsman, although his work is
amateurish art. In the end I reckon you are a professional or a hobbyist
(or a redneck) if you say you are. Who cares.


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter


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