Commonly we hear: The amateur creates out of love. The professional creates for money.
This, however, is a false distinction. If the amateur loved what they did even more, they would do it for money.
If anything, the amateur overidentifies with what they create, declaring their identity as an artist, poet, or actor, while the professional considers it their job, and realize while it is what they do it is not how they identify who they are.
This is what allows the professional to continue to create, while the amateur is overly anxious and sensitive to any feedback or criticism, to the extent that they will not produce or release their productions. It is as if the amateur will lose “who they are” if this hobbyist love was taken from them, while the professional has no such illusions.
From Steven Pressfield, the war of art