Pros and amateurs

Your side-gig is something someone else does full-time. Your occasional hobby? That’s someone else’s profession — for which they’ve spent years developing skills and expertise.

The point is, give yourself some grace.

To see your passionate work in the context of your peers and others who are on a similar path — that makes a lot of sense.

To compare your hobbies and interests to the work of professionals who have built their lives around that same thing — it’s neither fair nor worthwhile.

Find pleasure in your avocation. Be serious and rigorous if it brings you satisfaction. Be inspired by the masters. But remember, too, that comparison can be the thief of joy.

Run your creative race; it’s a worthwhile journey no matter where it begins or ends.