I do a lot of cool stuff. Some of the people in my life refer to me as a Renaissance Man - their way of saying I'm a man of many talents and skills. I accept this title. I'm not very humble, after all (the one skill I don't possess!) and it pleases me. I like being considered as a man who can do anything he puts his mind to.

Lately, though, I find that the hardest thing for me to do is define exactly WHAT I do. When someone asks me what I do for a living, I have to take a deep breath and start from the beginning. Or I have to truncate the litany and give them the highlights. No matter what, I never really get through the whole grocery list. Eyes begin to glaze over, or someone latches onto one aspect of my work and won't hear anything else. Which is why, depending on who you ask, some people will tell you I'm a web designer, others that I'm a documentary film maker, and still others a graphic artist. My favorite is "writer, author of books and articles." No one seems to remember that one, though. Maybe it's not glitzy enough.

I'm not patting myself on the back here. I have a point.

We live in a world that is obsessed with definition. Defining who you are to the rest of the world

has become a national pass time. Wander into your local Barnes and Noble and it won't take you long to find the self-help and motivational books. There are rows upon rows of books designed to help you figure out what to say when someone asks, "Who are you?"

I've recently decided to narrow down my own personal list of responses. People aren't really listening anyway if I start into a diatribe of "what I do for a living." So I've shortened it to the business card response. "Digital Media Producer and Writer." Lots of leeway there. I can elaborate on demand. I can expound on what "Digital Media" entails. The term "producer" evokes the appropriate images of Stephen Spielberg or George Lucas or Peter Jackson. And writer - in context I'm sure that most people will assume I mean scripts and memos and other production documents. That's fine, too. Most novelists (which is how I prefer to think of myself) aren't out producing business cards anyway. They simply announce what they do and let the term "novelist" speak for itself.

This morning, as I sip my cappuccino and watch my cat try to soften the top of my computer monitor with her endless kneading, it has occurred to me that defining myself is an ever changing and ever growing concept. Why has it taken on such importance? Can I really relate to someone who I am and what I stand for with just a title? Is it worth it to even try?

People seem to get ruffled at the concept of labels, and yet they insist on labeling themselves. Recently, I heard on talk radio that there was a production of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" being performed live in England. Only, the term "dwarves" has been deemed offensive by people who were born with the condition of dwarfism. So the musical is now being billed as "Snow White and the Guardians of the Forest." Which, as impressive as it sounds, evokes a much different image of the play. I confess I've only seen the Disney version of the story, but I don't remember the little guys "defending" anything. And weren't they miners?

Political Correctness strikes again.

So people who have the condition of dwarfism are now...what... Vertically Challenged? Height

Reduced Americans? Is the condition even called dwarfism any more? Maybe I've committed a faux pas.

What's interesting to note is that labels are always a point of contention among the various races. African Americans bristle at terms that were once used and commonly accepted by all. Even the term "African American" is becoming an offensive term. Some have asked, "Why have a label at all? We're all just human." Which, I hasten to point out, is a label as well. But inevitably, feminists (who hate being called feminists) will surely be ruffled enough to say that they'd prefer NOT to be called anything that contains the label "man." And instead, we should call ourselves Land Based Mammalian Creatures of Various Genders and Skin Tones.

I've wandered. I began by talking about how we define ourselves based on what we do. Look where we are! I guess I should add the term "Rambler" to my personal list of labels.

Here's the thing - labels are necessary. We need them. Imagine how much trouble it would cause if someone robbed you and you were forced to describe them as, "Male Mammal Biped." Or if you were meeting someone on a blind date and their description was "Oxygen Processing Female." We currently live in a society where it is taboo to be descriptive.

Ironic - since we spend so much time trying to "find ourselves." Could it be that the reason we have so much trouble defining who we are is because we refuse to be labeled? Is it really such a bad thing to be tagged with a description based on a cursory examination of your physical body, your ethnicity, your job? I don't define myself by my job. I don't consider my tastes in music, television, movies or clothes to be the extent of who I am. But it's convenient and easy for me to shortcut the description of J. Kevin Tumlinson with terms like "Writer," or "Producer" or "Artist." In college or interviewing for a job, I'm "Caucasian Male, Engineer." Or "Media Expert" or "Origami Artist."

Labels aren't permanent. There's no need to get worked up about them. People will perceive you more accurately with time. Labels are just a starting place. Defining who you are takes a lifetime. Having a label just gives you a platform to work from.

J. Kevin Tumlinson is the Editor for ViewOnline Magazine at www.viewonline.com. He holds a Masters in Education and has won numerous awards for writing fiction and non-fiction. You may reach him via e-mail at kevin@viewonline.com. He defines himself as a Written Communications American.