Gurney,
   Do feel like a bit of an oxymoron sometimes... :)
I think that it is good and worthwhile to be a pro (otherwise I wouldn't do it), but it isn't the be-all and end-all.I think being a pro has to be about more than making albums in this field, it has to be.The buck does not stop with the person in the publicity shoot,there has to be an effort to maintain continuity and community, or it just isn't the same animal anymore.
   I like to think of it as the village hall is bigger than it used to be-people have earned their livings or beer money from folk music for hundreds of years, and besides, it gives me full focus to research what I love and it lets me sleep in in the mornings.
xx e