How to Answer the "What Do You Do?" Question as a Creative Generalist
"What do you do?" must be the question that creatives (and generalists) dread more than anything else in the world. It's a difficult question to answer for them because of the many job titles, careers, and responsibilities most multi-passionate creatives can have, not to mention all the additional interests and passions. While there isn't any perfect answer for this common question, it may be helpful to have some strategies when asked.
Most job descriptions are straightforward. You work at a company, and you do X job for them. But what if you're not one of those people? What if you have multiple interests, or your job description is more general? If that sounds like you, then it's time to learn to answer the question, "What do you do?"
In this article, we'll explore three approaches that might help ease the pain of answering the question in the first place. I mean, how do you put a multidimensional human being with a million ideas and interests onto a tiny square business card?
#1 Who's asking, and why?
"So, what do you do?" is an essential question at any networking event, but it can be challenging to summarise it for someone you don't know, especially if you have many interests. Who is asking you? And what are they looking for in your answer? It can help to know what to say.
The person you're talking to might be a potential employer or business partner, so they're just trying to understand your work from that angle. In this case, it's best to keep the response professional and focused on what you do that might fit with what they're looking for. Never mind your other jobs or interests. You don't need to share the fullness of who you are. It might be better not to share too much to avoid confusing those without an extraordinary brain like yours.
Perhaps you're talking to someone who seems interested in more than just your job title. Again, depending on where you are and who you're talking to, you might decide to share a little more about the multitude that you are.
Just remember you're allowed to answer this question the way you feel, and it can vary from occasion to occasion and from person to person.
You don't owe anyone an elevator pitch about who you are and what you do. In fact, by adding variety into how you answer this question, you're remaining true to the multi-passionate creative that you are!
#2 The Instagram bio approach
This one is pretty familiar to creatives and generalists: the teeny tiny Instagram bio. How to summarise what you do in 150 characters or less? Impossible, you think. Well, most of us multi-passionate creatives reach a point - after much agony and turmoil - where we're OK with it being impossible. Why? Because it lessens the pressure of coming up with a bio that covers all our things! There aren't enough characters to do that anyway!
So how to use the Instagram bio approach to answer the "What do you do?" question? Share your favorite snippers of who you are: the things that excite, inspire, or interest you in some way, and then offer to tell them more about it if they're interested! In this scenario, "What do you do?" becomes a conversation starter rather than an elevator pitch.
The key is being clear about what you want to share and what you don't. Professional contacts may not need to know everything about how your imagination works, but if they're interested in hearing more, then that's a perfect time!
This approach is also great when encountering new people because it allows them to get to know you without feeling like they need to know everything.
Blogging is one of my passions, so depending on context and who's asking, I might say, "I blog about creativity." If the person I'm talking to works as an editor or writer, they might be interested in blogging, and we could talk more about it. If not, I can tell them that too - there's no need to be perfect or cover all my bases.
#3 The "But what do you do?" reply
Another way to get out of the "What do you do?" conundrum is by answering that question with a question.
This is a fun and playful way to reply that clarifies any uncertainty about what would be best to share about you. It also has the bonus of possibly leading to an inspiring conversation or a discovery of shared interests!
Here are a few ways to return the question with a question:
I'd love to share more about what I do with you, but I'm too curious. Would you mind telling me a bit more about you first?
Well, I do a few things. Perhaps it would be easier to share if I knew a bit more about you first. Would you mind telling me what you're passionate about?
It's hard to define myself as one thing, but that also means there are always new things for me to explore. Would you mind telling me a bit more about you first?
Finally, I want you to know that whatever the context, how the person you're talking to responds will tell you a lot about whether or not to pursue the relationship further. Both professionally and personally, if the person isn't excited or interested in what you have to say or downright responds negatively, it might be best to move on.
There's no correct answer to this question - share what feels right for you! Remember that you don't owe anyone any explanation about who you are and what you like to do. It doesn't matter if you're a job seeker, a business owner, or an artist.
Are you wondering about what to do next?
Do you have too many interests and don't know how to make them work together? If so, you're not alone. There are so many creative generalists out there with the same issue.
Luckily, it doesn't need to be this way! There are tools for making sense of all these different interests and skills, like my private coaching services, which help you find your "one amazing thing" (or two or three) because you know what: you don't have to choose!
