When People Ask Me What I Do

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“So tell me,” somebody always asks, “what do you do?”

I reply that I am a comedian.

“Really?”

No, but it would be funny if I were.

The thing is, I never know how to answer that question without sounding like a LinkedIn profile. In this age of “portfolio people” the answer to “what do you do?” really depends upon who is asking the question.

I do a lot of different things. Most people just get confused when I try to explain that I am an artist who writes — about being an artist.

They might instead understand that I am a photographer, or that I am a creative entrepreneur with an online business. Others connect with the fact that I teach workshops for creatives and show them how to build and sustain their own professional practice.

The point is: I wear many hats. Most artists do. And I always have. We call them “projects.” Some projects pay money and others don’t, but everything I do is part of who I am.

So, what do I do? I am a working artist. What do you do? 

Crista Cloutier works internationally as an artist and writer. She is the founder of The Working Artist. Over the course of her career, Crista has collaborated with some of the most significant contemporary artists showing today, such as. She is certified as a fine arts appraiser, has worked as a licensor, arts writer, gallerist, award-winning documentary filmmaker, fine-art publisher, and she has curated dozens of exhibitions. Crista has worked with artists whose careers range from blue-chip to just beginning. She knows firsthand how successful artists manage their careers and has witnessed where aspiring artists often stumble. Visit TheWorkingArtist.com to find out more.