It's hard to ask broader questions without it feeling awkward though; "what do you do" is so cliched it's "approved" small talk. Whereas something like "what are your hobbies" or "what do you dream of doing" or "what motivates you" feels very personal. There are some in betweens, but they all will likely be interpreted to mean job in the same way that "what do you do" is interpreted that way (despite being open ended).

I ask people what keeps them busy since I feel that is more open ended than what is your job

Yeah- I'm guilty of this, and try to ask something like "what are you into right now?"

I'm guilty of this in the past and I agree. Maybe in the future we can instead say, "What do you love doing?"