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Looper's Delight
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Tony wrote: "Someone once told me... "A professional does for money what an amateur does for the love of it." This falls into the same category as the wisdom that says "Those who can't do, teach" It is ignorant and mean spirited. I've been an artist all of my life. In every situation I've ever been in, I have always created the space to have a completely original project, dedicated to pure artistry: pure expression in whatever medium I was involved in...............from rock and roll to funk to jazz to new wave to world music to electronica to found sound to live looping. I have also not had a conventional 'day job' for the last 25 years, having made all of my living as a musician in one form or another (studio recording, touring, local gigging, teaching, music production, live sound engineering, music business consulting, et. al.) I am a pro and I'm proud of it. I worked my ass off to survive and it has been very difficult to do so at times. I ate burritos and quesadillas and other cheap food for the better part of ten years so that I could keep my eye on the prize: music. I am not cynical or calculating in being a professional. I pride myself on trying to have a service orientation in my work (I'm a drummer for god's sake so it goes with the territory..........lol). I also do not look down or put down musicians who do not make their living as professionals. I'd never put on a looping festival if I had this attitude. Some of the very best musicians I know are not 'pros' in the strict definition of the word. I could care less. They are wonderful and innovative musicians. Some of the very best musicians I know are also consumate professionals, both in spirit and in the letter of the term. You want to tell me that Debhashish Battycharya, Bob Brozman, Martin Simpson, Deepak Ram and Babatunde Olatunji are cynical hacks because they are so good that they make all of their living being musicians. Be real, please. Distinctions between pro and amateur are spurious in terms of artistry, I believe. My definition of a true artist is someone who does art every day, whether or not they make their living from it. I know great artists who have day jobs, terrible hacks who are pros. I also know terrible hacks who are proverbial 'weekend warriors', a term bandied about by professional musicians who are also equally ignorant and mean spirited. I've known great artists who are professionals. ********* In this discussion, folks, let's be honest.........................everyone on earth wishes they could do what they most love for a living. It's simple............if you love something, you want to devote as much time to it as you can and making a living doing it merely affords you the ability to put more energy into your art...........................sometimes. Having to play three to five gigs a week to pay the bills can also be exhausting and can definitely keep your eye off the 'prize' of artistry. There is no need to put people down in this discussion. Every truly great master artist I've ever known has never had this kind of 'US' and 'THEM' mentality. Period. Point. Dot.