Why do I do this?

I have been asked to write a guest blog post (stay tuned for details this summer!) about the path that brought me to being a consultant. As I’ve been drafting this post, the question, ‘why do I do this?’ has popped into my head often.

For me, history isn’t a choice, it’s a calling. In our About page, I discuss my first, palpable experience that I can remember with history and knowing, at age 8, that this was going to be a lifelong passion. Whether I was dipping candles, making a video Lego moon landing in my junior year of high school for my favorite history teacher, or writing a book, history has been at the center of what I love and what I want to do.

I think it’s also fair to say that by working in history, I’ve also known that I have always wanted to help people in some way. I love to teach. The traditional classroom path was not in the cards, but every day I get to share stories and educate people. I love to solve problems. All of my full-time museum roles have challenged me to come up with solutions that fit the scope of budgets, projects, and people. And, even though COVID visitor services has been a sense of burnout, I love people. I have been incredibly fortunate to work with smart, talented, fun, creative souls over the course of my career.

Why do I do this? A common interview answer about my work style is that ‘I’d rather be busy than be bored.’ I truly love the full-time marketing role that I have. It’s predictable, challenging, and interesting. It could be enough.

I’m going to digress to a short story. When I was in first grade, I fell off the top step of the school bus and chipped my front tooth. I tripped because my arms were full - a stuffed animal, a Barbie record, an art project, a lunch box, and my bag. I was overloaded. My mom was furious. Why did I carry so much? Why didn’t I leave the project at school? Why wasn’t stuff in my bag? I often look back on this day as a metaphor - why don’t I just slow down? Why do I need to be overloaded? I guess that’s just in my nature!

Moving away from full-time museum work was a difficult decision. I have my graduate degree in history and had spent nearly 15 years on stepping stones to a director-level position at a world-famous historic site. I had made strides in a variety of professional areas and I didn’t want that knowledge to atrophy. So, here I am.

In my first months of work, I have been fortunate to work with a variety of clients with a variety of needs. From leading meetings, to researching, to strategizing I’m getting to do things I love every day - with old friends and new friends. The goal of MuseumTastic is to provide affordable services to small museums. Projects that once might have been too small for full-time consultant or too expensive for a small operating budget are now truly in reach. Every day, I have the opportunity to teach, learn, share, and do.

It’s a wonderful thing to say that I have found joy in my work again.