Last week as I finished a project, I stared down at my desk covered in colored pencil shavings and realized something. It had nothing to do with the actual project but rather more to do with me…
All of the sudden I realized…
I lack a job title.
It might not sound like a big deal but it’s a cause for concern here in the Midwest. When I lived in Los Angeles, people would often ask, “Where do you live?”, as your geographic location within the city limits seemed to speak volumes about your character. However, here in Nebraska things are different. “What do you do?”, seems to be the question that defines your place in this world.
I usually respond to that question with a myriad of stock answers. I begin with saying, “I would bore you if I told you” and if that doesn’t suffice the person asking I will continue on with, “I’m a jack of all trades, master of none”. If the person seems “artsy” I might say, “I’m an Arbiter of Style” but I don’t use that too often in these parts. When all else fails, I simply lie and tell people I sell crop insurance. That always seems to please them as it’s a concrete job title and it’s easy to comprehend.
Truth be told, I don’t think I could put a title to what I do. Calling myself a designer seems appropriate yet that, too is vague in its meaning. I’m not an artist nor am I a writer since a job title insinuates you make a living at doing those particular things. The other day, an elderly gentleman told me that I’m good at that “dollin’ and decoratin’ business” and I thought perhaps I should put THAT on a business card.
“Call Me For All Your Dollin’ & Decoratin’ Needs.”
I may not be able to easily define what it is that I “do” but when I get to do something I love, it translates to absolute passion.
So to confuse people even more on what it is that I actually do, this Easter I was hired to create some custom cards for the holiday…
What started as a custom I created for the little kids of friends and family members has turned into commission requests that have been gaining momentum.
Even though I love to re-imagine traditional characters, I created a card with a familiar looking holiday rabbit for parents that wanted their kids to receive an actual note in the mail from the Easter Bunny…
As a kid, can you imagine getting a card in the mail from this guy? How awesome, right?
A few local kids received a more regional depiction of the Easter Bunny who was outfitted in Nebraska overalls and came bearing carrots instead of sugary confections…
And a real estate agent hired me to turn him into the Easter Bunny for a set of holiday cards he could send to his favorite clients…
A few cards went to kids on the West Coast…
While my “Hipster Bunny” notes went to the coolest kids on the block (or so I’m guessing)…
I think my favorite job this holiday was creating a set of cards for a client who wanted to send notes to her fellow “Moms” and celebrate the fact that another holiday has concluded…
She emailed me a photo of herself and wanted a drawing that highlights the fact that it’s usually the moms that get stuck with the responsibility of fulfilling the duties of our childhood icons. Clearly, a glass of wine would be in order after stuffing the eggs, waking up early to hide the eggs, making the Easter baskets, dressing the kids for church, baking the ham, trying to take a decent family photo and monitoring everyone’s overall chocolate intake…
Creating this image got be thinking about what I can do for Mother’s Day…
Until then, I’m off to sell more crop insurance.