This past weekend I faced that dreaded question, once again.
I call it "dreaded" because there's really no easy way to explain what I do. It has been several decades since I was able to simply answer "I'm a technical writer," and even that wasn't entirely true, at the time.
It's actually a fairly American question; in the US of A we're far more concerned with people's occupations than in most other parts of the world. Regardless...
... there's no short and sweet answer to what I DO.
I breathe in, and I breathe out...
Those among you who are in the US will perhaps understand why I can't readily answer the question when I tell you that I attach seven "Schedule C" forms to our annual income tax return... A Schedule C is the bookkeeping for a small business by an individual proprietor.
I'm engaged in Patchwork Economics...
I am an online dealer in rare old postage stamps for collectors. It's something I've been into since 1988, and whereas I definitely don't make a living at it, I do make money at it.
I'm a book and article editor, and hereunder also an occasional ghostwriter... and in service of not creating one more business I also earn some income for blogging and writing guest content on web sites. The work is far too "sporadic" for me to make a living at it, but I do make money at it.
I'm a junk store, antique mall, garage sale and flea market enthusiast. I find "undiscovered treasures" and remarket them via eBay for a profit. I by no means can make a living at that, but I definitely make money at it.
As many of you probably know by now, I am also an artist who paints painstakingly small mandala patterns on rocks... which I love doing, and it's a great catharsis, as well. I definitely do not make a living at it, but I do make money at it.
I'm a beach comber and finder of "jetsam and flotsam" on our local beaches, along with driftwood, rocks, shells, old pottery, beach glass and various other things... which I market and sell to artists and jewelers around the world who work with "found objects." Sadly, there's just not enough of it out there that I can make a living at it, but I do make money at it.
Once in a while, I also help Mrs. Denmarkguy coordinate self-growth workshops... and yes, I did say seven Schedule Cs, but of them are hers, and the lines between our respective business endeavors are rather blurred, but we "assign" them to a specific person because it's easier (for tax purposes) to be individuals than a bunch of partnerships.
So why did I suddenly decide to sit down and write all this out?
Silly as it may sound, sometimes even I lose track a bit, and I wanted to take the time to fully answer the question, and determine whether I have been lying to myself about "how complicated" it is to answer. Nope. It would seem that I am justified!
Not at all related, I also wanted to public a post from the VYB front end.
Anyway, enough of that! Thanks for stopping by my rather self-indulgent post... and have a great remainder of your week!
How about YOU? What do you think about the question "What do you do?" Is it easy for you to answer, or is your "occupation" more complicated than that? Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly and uniquely for this platform — NOT cross posted anywhere else!)
Created at 20220308 22:45 PST
0518/1764