A Pro Modder … Really?

You know, we have a wide variety of folks who participate in our beloved hobby/obsession, with an even wider range of skill levels and resources. We have sponsored modders, modders with tools galore, and machine shops etc at their disposal. Then we have the flip side of this, the unsponsored modder, low budget modders and modders with barely any tools at all. And finally those modders that fall in between the two groups. Well big freaking deal, what does that matter?What does this have to do with one’s skill level? Not a thing.

The skill level of a modder comes from within, not from his pocket or someone else’s pockets, and not from an out source resource. No, a truly gifted modder has a passion that borders on an obsession for his craft and it is not merely enough to watch, they have to be knee deep in the object of their obsession. Each piece that they finish has a piece of them worked into it, be it physically, mentally and yes sometimes even emotionally. And to them, more than any prize they may win, the comments that people make on their work are more precious than gold. Fore, it is a sense of pride and accomplishment that they personally know that they earned.

I have heard a lot talk about Pro Modders and in my honest opinion I think too much emphasis is put upon such a distinction. But, before we discuss it further, let’s look at a couple of web definitions for the word professional.

professional;

•  engaged in a profession or engaging in as a profession or means of livelihood; …  So and so sells his mods, he’s a Pro Modder! Really? Is it his means of livelihood? I dare say not too many folks will call modding there means of livelihood, oh it may be a way of making an extra buck or even quite a few extra bucks at times, but I doubt it is their only means of support.
•  master: an authority qualified to teach apprentices …  Ok, so and so is just so good at modding he is a Master modder, he is definitely a Pro Modder. Well, then perhaps he is, maybe he will encourage us and help us learn new modding techniques.

I know of several modders that I would call Masters in the world of modding and they have earned it. I also know a few Masters in their own minds, but don’t we all. lol 
So yes, I suppose we do have some in the world of modding that could be called Pro Modders or Master Modders, but not because of they do it for their livelihood, oh it does supplement it I am sure, but totally support them I doubt.

What about these Master Modders, are they untouchable, arrogant and unwilling to help newcomers to the modding world? I do not think so, true there may be one or two that are in a world of their own, but most are very willing to help and share their knowledge with the modding community. Some of these guys are genuinely nice guys, like Bill Owen a.k.a. MNPCTECH. Yes, he may be a Master Modder, but I have never seen him act in an arrogant manner and I honestly think he would try to help someone if they asked. That gets kudos in my book. As long as we have folks like this that are willing to share with the community, be it a Pro or not, the community will thrive.

Oh and one more little item, folks don’t be intimidated by these Master/Pro Modders. Embrace the fact that they started out just like you and have learned how to do what they do to the best of their abilities, and that you can also do this. As Tech-Daddy stated in a recent post at Modders-Inc, “it’s intimidating trying to compare your work against some of these people. And that, my friends, is where confidence comes in to play. You do the best you can with your available resources and nobody… I mean NOBODY, can take that away from you.”   Just remember you must crawl before you can walk or run and the same goes in the world of modding. Stop trying to compare apples and oranges, true they are tasty fruits, but not everyone who likes apples like oranges and vice versa. A lot of times it plain boils down to personal preference, so why not just mod for you first and if folks like it too, then hey … you just had your cake and you can eat it too.  

As always if you folks would like to discuss this article please feel free to post about it in the Modders Inc Forums. Not a member yet? Not a problem click here to join the #1 modding community on the net.  

Keep the passion/obsession for the craft my fellow modders!!

Ok, I’ll step down now …. But just for now. Using my best Schwarzenegger typing skillz  >>>  “I’ll be Bach”