What do you DO?

I just had the most amusing conversation with our dry-waller. He asked what I 'do,' as I have told him I will be upstairs working while he's been here working this week. I said I am an artist (he had noticed paintbrushes in my hand earlier). So he asked what I paint, "pictures, or walls?" I said pictures, and that I also weave tapestries. He said, 'you mean like making cloth?' So I pointed out one on our living room wall. He looked at it for a moment, then said, 'are you like Picasso? Kind of surreal? Are you going to cut your ear off?'

Well, since those questions had covered any number of artists/movements/ and disorders, none of which related to what I do, I didn't quite know how to address the question, so I just said 'uh, not exactly,' or some such 'duh' response. He went back to his work, and I'm getting back to mine... but I am considering the ear thing.

By the way, in all fairness, I have to point out that I know nothing about drywall, and he is doing a fantastic job on my dining room ceiling!