[Image credit: Salvatore Vuono]

How do you respond when someone asks the question what do you do?  Many people automatically list their vocation or occupation.  Is this how you define yourself?  Perhaps you’re a parent first, or maybe you’re a student while working full time selling coffee.  With the many hats we wear, it’s hard to whittle down the descriptors that provide a complete picture of who we are.  But sometimes we only have a few minutes or limited words in which we must convey our identity to a potential employer, new friend or prospective date.  In the past month, I’ve been asked several times what I “do.”  My answer has consistently been that I’m a publishing assistant and a writer.  Although I’m so much more, these seven words define my love of language and, I hope, a bent toward creativity and an open mind.  Perhaps I give off the vibe of struggling artist, as well.  Either way, I’m becoming what I believe.

In a few words, how do you define yourself?