Summer Flowers

Snail Trail

The definition

An amateur (French amateur "lover of", from Old French and ultimately from Latin amatorem nom. amator, "lover") is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training. An amateur receives little or irregular income from their activities, and thus differs from a professional who makes a living from the pursuit and typically has formal training and certifications in the domain. The term, deriving from words for "lover", reflects a voluntary motivation to work as a result of personal interest in the activity. As a value system, amateurism elevates things done with self-interest or for their own intrinsic value above those done for pay. 

Amateurism can be seen in both a negative and positive light.On the other hand, an amateur may be in a position to approach a subject with an open mind (as a result of the lack of formal training) and in a financially disinterested manner.