I Hate Hobbyists, Or Give A Damn, Dammit

"It's good enough."

"Why do you care? No one else is going to know"

"It doesn't matter."

These phrases and the half-assed attitude behind them take. me. over. the edge. If you're going to do something, DO IT. Don't *kinda* do it. Don't *mostly* do it. Don't just do it until you're tired of it.

Suck it up, put on your big girl panties, and DO IT.

I don't want to hear about how hard it is.

I don't want to hear about how "you don't have time."

I Don't. Want. To Hear It.

If you're going to dedicate yourself to doing something, pardon my language here, but FUCKING DO IT.

Don't half-ass it. Don't whine about it. Don't wimp out.

Just. Fucking. Do it.

There are many fields to which this applies for me, but it hits me the hardest with music. People that sing a song they have no business singing because they haven't taken the time to learn more about what is going on in the song; they just think it's "pretty."

Do your research. Learn what you're singing. Learn about the source of the song. If it's from a larger work (song cycle, opera, musical, whatever), learn where it fits in the arc of the larger work. If there is a character associated with it, learn about that character. Learn who the person is, and learn *WHY* they are singing that song. 

Big picture: all art (music, visual arts, theater, dance, writing, WHATEVER) should be about communication. If you are not effectively communicating, you're not doing your job right. In music, if you don't know the context and meaning of your music, you can't really hope to effectively communicate the meaning of the piece. You have to understand.

Don't misunderstand me. I get that not everyone has a degree in music. I get that not everyone is a genius. I get that not everyone can MAKE ALL THE THINGS. But seriously, if you are going to commit yourself to doing something (sing a song, make a costume, build the Empire State Building out of toothpicks), go all the way. If you don't know what you're doing, or if there's an aspect about which you are unsure, LEARN ABOUT IT. Research it, or find someone else that can teach you about it. Don't half-ass something just because you don't understand how to make it better. Educate yourself. 

And if you're too lazy to do it for realsies, don't waste your time (or the time of anyone else that might be involved). If you can't dedicate yourself to doing it and meaning it, let it go, and go do something else you can really sink your teeth into.

Yeah, it's work. Yeah, sometimes it's hard. But sweet jeebus, it is SO worth it.