Labels: Captioning our Lives

I was at an artist's reception last night and had a very interesting conversation with a business owner there. We had some business experience in common and so we talked about the trade for a bit. We talked about how the economy affected the industry we were in and how that, in turn, affected my career, my life, and my art. Our discussion became more about philosophy and life than business.

He asked how being an engineer influenced my sculpting. He asked how losing my job impacted my sculpting (I was laid-off 3 times in 5 years.) We spoke of finding our identity. He said when he is asked "what do you do?" his response is typically, "many, many things. As many as I can." Quite a different response than if posed a similarly worded, but completely different question, "what do you for a living?"

Many of us think and believe these two questions to be the same. We lose sight of who we are. We come to believe we are what we do. Being "Let go", laid-off, down-sized, whatever you want to label it, helped me to realize that I am not what I do. I had bought into the notion that I was a good worker. I was a good employee. I was an engineer. I was a cog in the corporate machine.

Once I was, albeit involuntarily, released of most of those labels I struggled for a bit. I first tried to find a different company where the comfortable labels fit. Then I tried different labels.

I still struggle with labels even while I know that I am not the label that I give myself. And I thank being let go for helping me to learn that lesson.

That being said, I wonder, are labels ever helpful, if not entirely accurate?

Think of a photo album. Snapshots of one's experiences. Even putting all the pictures together does not give the complete story. Not even a fair summary of one's life. They are merely summaries of the times when photos were taken, kept and displayed.

Now, add captions (or labels) to each photo. It still does not create the full biography. It does however give some additional insights to the experience that is seen. Upon viewing a photo of a scene, the viewer may interpret it in numerous ways. An accurate label can assist the viewer in understanding the experience as it happened for the one who owns the album.

Similarly, labels can help us present ourselves so others may know us better. If we write the label carefully, thoughtfully, honestly, purposefully. Think about the caption for the photo of this part of your life. Write it so that people see the real you. Let the label help open you, and them, to the experiences of life, rather than being limited to a tiny fragment.

Do I still use labels? Sure. For me they are shorthand for the parts and pieces that make up the puzzle of my life. By putting them together one gets a summary of what has already happened. They are signposts, showing where I have been. But I can also put them to work to assist me in mapping out where I am and where I am going.

I am grateful for labels, for learning to overcome them. I am grateful for letting them go and for, sometimes, picking them back up again.