… how do they react?

In my experience, you get 3 types of reactions:

1. “I’m thinking about learning how to play the guitar” (you can replace “guitar” with any other instrument, though “guitar” is the most common)
2. “But what do you REALLY do?” (note the emphasis on “really”)
3. “Cool. I’m a musician too.” (you can replace “musician” with any other creative activity)

#1 and #2 used to annoy me big time but now, I’ve got a response for each.

1. I could give you a few lessons if you want, my rates are cheap (this only works with “guitar” in my case because you certainly wouldn’t want me to give you piano lessons!)
2. I write and record songs. And what about you, do you LOVE your job? (note the emphasis on “love”)
3. Cool. Are you looking for a song to perform? (ideally, a full conversation will emerge from this and you will exchange email addresses at the end of it)