The Dreaded "What Do You Do?"

What do you do?

That's a question guaranteed to make your conversation partner uncomfortable, and frankly bore you to tears listening to the answer. Most of us are stuck in jobs we can barely tolerate ourselves and certainly don't want to rehash in our free time.

I don't answer the question with the expected. From 8:30 to 5 most days, I'm an admin. However, saying that is what I do is mildly embarrassing and largely dishonest. Admin work may be what pays my rent, but it's not who I am.  I'm a maker. That's what I do: I knit, I sew, I build, I design. I invent. That's what I do.

And really, if we're having a casual chat, would you rather hear about the adventure I just had using a pottery wheel for the first time (I did not know I could make that big a mess in such a small amount of time!) or listen to me mumble something about endless spreadsheets? That's what I thought. You want to hear the engaging, sometimes funny stories.

I've made a commitment to conversational improvement. I will never again ask someone what they do. From now on, I'm going to ask what they make. Everyone makes something, whether they believe it or not. Some people make cakes or amazing Italian meals. Some make dresses for their grandchildren. A lot of people make beer these days. And some people make stories, written or oral. Holding court in a coffee shop, regaling your friends with tall tales is actually making- you're making entertainment, your'e making connections.

Telling people I'm a maker gives me an opportunity to share my joy. Talking about invoicing does not. Telling people what I really do opens the door for them to say, "oh, I always wanted to try such and such." Which is the moment I want to have, when I can say "what's stopping you?"

Because this is my passion, I almost always know where to direct them to get started. I might not know how to build a robot; I do know where the hackerspace in my city is, and that those people will help someone learn. I know where the tool library is ("I was always interested in woodworking, but the tools are so expensive..." NO, they're $50 for all you can use in a year!), I know who teaches sewing, and jewelry making, and painting, and drawing, and cooking, and automechanics. And on and on. Give me a chance; I'll have you creating in no time! I want to tell everyone where those resources are because I truly believe humans are wired to create and invent.

And play. That's what making really is, in all it's forms. It's play and meditation and prayer rolled into one. It's why I get up in the morning and often why I stay up late.

It's what I do.