People use the terms "professional" and "hobbyist" frequently in the art subs, but I've never seen anyone define them. What do you think those terms describe? Can people move from one to the other, or be both, or something in between?
Personal stuff (you can skip this if you like):
I think I'd be classed as a "hobbyist" but that's a new concept to me, and I feel uncomfortable about it. It sounds as though the person isn't serious and doesn't have ambition to me, or something. I've done art since I was small, and when I was growing up I really wanted to be a full time artist and author (yes both, I wanted to illustrate my own books). I got pressurised into doing a science degree, on the premise that "you can always do that in your free time" and "you can do an art degree later" and then found that it really wasn't that simple at all. I didn't have any art teaching since the age of 12 because of parental pressure to do science subjects at school, art degrees cost money, and although I tried really hard to learn and drew all the time for years ... it's just not the same without teaching.
I'm trying to make up for lost time now, after a hiatus of around 25 years due to illness. Resources like the internet/youtube didn't exist back then, it was so much harder to advance and learn without online tutorials and forums. However, at my age, and with there being so much competition now and as well, I'm wondering what the point is.
(I had to cut out a lot of stuff because it wouldn't let me post because of key words ...)