“Amateur” is one of those words that somehow became an insult. Like it means you showed up unprepared, fumbled around, and then asked for a parade anyway.

But that’s not what it’s supposed to mean!

I re-read Show Your Work by Austin Kleon recently, and he talks about amateurs as enthusiasts. People who do the work in the spirit of love, without needing it to turn into a career move. And because they have less to lose, amateurs will try things professionals often won’t. They’ll experiment. They’ll share what happened. They’ll keep learning in public.

That idea landed for me, mostly because January is when a lot of us start acting like we need to become a different person by Tuesday.

I’m really trying not to do that.

What I do want, though, is lean more into that amateur energy. The kind that makes me curious. The kind, and this is the vulnerable part, that lets me make something without turning it into a referendum on my talent, my discipline, or my future success. The kind that says, “I wonder what happens if I try this,” and then I actually try it 🙂

When you’re a “pro” you carry a lot of invisible weight. You get used to being consistent. You get used to knowing what works and you start making choices that protect your reputation, your time, your sanity. All of that is real and valid. It also paints you into a small corner where it isn’t fun anymore.

The amateur doesn’t have that problem. Or at least, the amateur doesn’t let that problem drive the car.

I see this in my classes all the time. The students who learn fastest aren’t the ones who “have an eye.” They’re the ones who are willing to be wrong for five minutes, to go shoot and not worry. They’ll change a setting, take the photo, look at it, and go, “Oh. That’s what that does.” No shame spiral, just information.

So I’m taking Kleon’s advice as a New Year nudge. Not “be an amateur” as in “stay small.” More like “be an amateur” as in “stay open.” Keep learning. Keep making. Keep sharing what I’m figuring out, even if it’s not polished yet.

If you want to try this with me, pick one thing this year where you’ll give yourself permission to be a beginner again. Something you’ll do because you love it, not because it’s efficient or impressive or profitable right away. Maybe it’s a new editing style. Maybe it’s shooting something you never shoot (sports, birds, buildings)! Maybe it’s writing about your work instead of waiting until you have the perfect words.

You don’t need a big plan. You need reps 🙂 That’s it.

What’s one thing you’d try this year if you stopped requiring yourself to be good at it first? I’d love to know, and I’d love to help.