Why Dabble?

Someone questioned why I used the phrase "dabbles with writing." By the tone of the question I got the idea that she perhaps thought I was being disrespectful to serious writers. Please let me apologize to any who might think that was my intent. Am I a beginner in the writing business? In many ways, yes. Even though I've been writing in some area or another for years, I am presently writing my first cozy mystery. Am I serious about it? Absolutely! But I also recognize that I am inexperienced both as a blogger and as a novelist, and one or more definitions of dabble certainly fit: "to scratch the surface of " or "to keep busy with" or "to do something in an intermittent manner." Sadly, I have not yet become a disciplined writer who puts in hours each day, but as some of my friends say "it keeps me busy and off the street."
I'm not so sure that to dabble is a bad thing. Whether or not my book is ever published, I've enjoyed writing it. O.k., I'll confess, slogging through some of the problems with it hasn't been my idea of fun, but the feeling of accomplishment when I stick with it is very rewarding. To me this is a lot like my years in art. I'm not good at everything - I'll never make it as a realist painter. But if I hadn't been encouraged to dabble, to stick my toe in, and try things, I never would have found the other areas where I am more competent, nor would I have had an opportunity to spend many years in the classroom teaching something I love. Thinking we have to commit to something fully and be immediately proficient is limiting. So dabble, my friends! To borrow an old phrase, "nothing ventured, nothing gained."