Ahh...
It's not that he dislikes hobbiests at all... he just is very particular about who he shares stuff with.
lol. I get that, and I get Ben's really passionate about his work. I wasn't asking him to share anything. I just sort of hang around and he tends to give me cut-eye.
I love magic, love learning about it, love reading, watching, buying and occasionally, even performing it. But I know I could never do it professionally. I was all but forbidden to perform it as a child, so I picked it up a bit later in life. And it shows. My skills are limited, but I can do some kick ass cold-reads.
Also, I started getting back into it via a somewhat shady avenue that's frowned upon by some - the pickup arts. I've pretty much left that arena, but it re-sparked my interest in magic. That, and being able to drive after a few years of Driver's Licence issues.
Now, I try to head to Morrissey's and Browser's whenever I can (I was at Morrissey's 50th a couple of weeks back). I work some strange hours, so I'm hesitant to commit to meetings, and I doubt my skill level's good enough for adult classes and I'd be a bit out of place in the children's classes. So basically I'm restricted to self-directed learning. Which is pretty tough. But I do alright and I'm loving it.
I get the impression Ben had parents that encouraged him, or at the very least, stayed out of his way. And that's awesome. But that's not the case for everyone.