One of the key ideas in A Restless Art was that being an artist was an acting in the world, not and existential condition, Anyone can do – which isn’t the same as saying that anyone can do it well. I can play football and chess but no-one with any skill would want to play me. There is a difference between a professional and a non-professional, in art as in all fields of human activity, They bring different things.
Professional artists have artistic training, skills and expertise, as well as knowledge of their field which helps them make informed judgements about it. They can draw on experience from previous work and confidence in familiar processes and their home ground. They have authority from public recognition of their artistic identity, and years of practice. They have artistic talent and aptitude.
Non-professional artists have fresh ideas, questions and solutions because they have not been trained to see things in a particular way. They have knowledge and expertise too, but in aspects of life that nourish the subject and meaning of the art being created. They have things to say and a need to say them, since they know that this might be their only opportunity to create with professional artists. They too have artistic talent and aptitude, though perhaps in unexpected forms-creation
When they work together, both groups can do surprising, unforeseeable things – if they work with the values of a selfless art.
François Matarasso 