At the end of the day, it’s the ownership that determines the quality of work produced. You either have this emotional connection to whatever you do, or not. Everyone has seen a video of some craftsman who produces an amazing product after an inordinate amount of effort and is moved by it.
Having the same kind of emotional connection to your work when your work is mostly some text on a file somewhere is looked down upon or at least not as romantic, which is unfortunate. It is understandable, given how less accessible certain professions and artifacts of such professions to others, but still a shame.
It all reminds me of an essay by Ben Pieratt that was making rounds a few weeks about how work is personal for some people. Some people don’t just work on things; they own them. Grinding, refining, to the last proverbial bit. And it just shows.