Scott Andrew

Posted August 30, 2018.

Dilettante

For decades I've used that word to describe both my career and hobbies, and it's always had a sort of negative connotation. Dilettante. Jack of all trades; master of none. Rank amateur. Tourist. Unstudied noob, unworthy of serious consideration.

In other words, the path to impostor syndrome. Ha ha! Ha.

Apropos of nothing I recently found the dictionary definition:

dil•et•tante

n. (pl. dillentanti) - a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge. (mod.) "a dilettante approach to science."

Sounds a lot like beginner's mind to me. But then I latched onto this:

Origin

Mid 18th century Italian, from dilettare ("to delight"); from Latin delectare ("to be delighted; to enjoy being/doing")

To enjoy being. I like that very much.