I don’t have a real job. So, when someone asks me “What do you do?,” I kinda panic. One of the primary reasons I started this blog was so that I could continue to put words to “what I do.” Maybe I should try to only ever answer visually. Perhaps, when folks ask, “So, what do you do?,” I can whip out a 4’x6′ postcard with this image and hand it to them…
But, that might be weird.
We all know the traditional way to answer this question. We are all supposed to have a profession. “I am a doctor.” “I am a lawyer.” “I am a firefighter.” These are all great answers. But this is problematic for me. I could say…
- “I am a theater teacher and director.” – However, I am rarely in the room with actors these days. And when I am, I am rarely doing theater in the traditional sense. When I am, I am helping folks, who do not identify as professional actors, practice being braver, more compassionate people. I just use theater to do it.
- “I am a business owner.” – However, then, of course, I have to explain what my business does and that is a whole other complicated web of description…one which I am working very hard to make simpler…especially because it is one of those businesses with a mission to do good and not just make money so I could also say…
- “I am a social entrepreneur.” – Which I have on my business card and LinkedIn profile, but it feels funny to say it out loud for some reason. It’s not one of those “doctor” or “lawyer”-type professions that conjures up an immediate image in the mind of the person you are talking to.
Maybe, I am being too modest. Maybe, I am just not being bold and brave enough to say what it is I am truly here TO DO in the world. Maybe the next time someone asks me, I will have the courage to answer:
I am a leader in a compassion revolution. Theater is my tool. I make plays with all kinds of regular folks that promote the virtues we desperately crave and often neglect as humans. I also build and inspire programs, organizations, and systems to support this revolution.
Is that too wordy? Is it just too much to throw at someone over cocktails at a happy hour mixer? Or, do I owe it to my work and my mission to tell the whole truth.
I don’t know. You tell me. What do YOU do?
Lynn Johnson 