A lot of people ask me that question. And i’m guilty of asking the same of others. At this point, you must know two things: 1) I don’t really have an answer to that question, and 2) I don’t know why I ask other people what they do, because most times I have found that it has no bearing on their character. It’s not something i’m proud of, and i’m trying hard to mend my ways.
I do lots of things.
This year, I did a lot of corporate writing, worked with UNICEF as a consultant, started a little events company, and taught sex ed to kids living on plantations. I worked with various companies, NGOs and individuals to bring different ideas to fruition, some of which (I sincerely hope) helped make a difference to people in need. Next year, I hope i’ll be doing other things. So when people ask me what I do, I always say i’m a “writer”, because it’s the most honest answer I can give in the shortest time. If you think about it, all the stuff I do requires some writing at some point (from emails, to reports, to articles, to scribbling my name on a contest form hoping to win a free trip to Honolulu etc.)
But this usually invites more questions, such as: “What do you write about?”, “Who do you write for?”, and the inevitable, “Are you a blogger?”.
[By the way, the standard answers to those questions are: 'Nonsense', 'Anyone who will pay me', and 'NO'.]
I think I spent quite a bit of time being bothered by not knowing what defined me, but i’m over it now.
People work their whole lives so that they can have business cards that spell out their role in society. I have known people who got angry with bosses who didn’t provide them with name cards. Maybe it’s a social tool, as i’ve noticed how people give out name cards as if it’s going out of fashion.
Back when I was doing my pupillage in a big corporate law firm, the other pupils would look forward to the end of pupillage because it meant having their own 8′ x 8′ office with their name in gold letters on the door, and name cards that told the world they were doing something important. As you progressed in the firm, you were upgraded to bigger rooms; and when you made partner, you got a room with windows or some sort of view, depending on seniority.
I remember naively asking my boss at the time why people worked hard so that they could be enslaved in a box for the rest of their lives. Working 10 years to get your own parking space and a room with a view just didn’t make sense to me. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t last very long in the corporate world.
Personally, I prefer to look into someone’s eyes, smile, and say “Hello, I’m June” before any exchange of name cards. It’s a warmer way, brings people closer, and makes them want to call you more. It also took a while for me to buy into the whole name-card-for-business idea, but I do have some now. They were designed by the gorgeous Lisa Zainuddin of Oxoloco <— click the link to check ‘em out!
Oliver’s philosophy
When faced with the question “What do you do for a living?” My good friend Oliver used to answer, “I skate, draw, and play for a living. And to make money I do other things.”
Similarly, I laugh, play, and fall in love every day. People will snigger and demand a “serious answer” when I tell them that, but I really don’t feel like I have a JOB because I really enjoy what I do. It doesn’t feel like work when you love what you do and have the freedom to do it from anywhere. I also do different things all the time, so it’s never dull. And as a result of the flexibility, I have more time to spend with friends and family, building strong bonds that money can’t buy. So, took me a while to explain, but that’s what I do, and I love it 
I won’t tell you that the world matters nothing, or the world’s voice, or the voice of society. They matter a good deal. They matter far too much. But there are moments when one has to choose between living one’s own life, fully, entirely, completely—or dragging out some false, shallow, degrading existence that the world in its hypocrisy demands. You have that moment now. Choose!
― Oscar Wilde
