When I sat in the house of Hunchback last weekend, I was thrilled to think that I played a part in bringing people there. I loved experiencing their laughter, tension, and excitement during the show, then watching audience members climb onstage and visit with the cast, examine the puppets, run their hands over the towers…I never thought I’d feel this invested in my work.

I have a BA in Drama and an MBA in Marketing, General Management, and Economics. Weirdly, I really loved both courses of study, but I guess I never thought I’d be lucky enough to find a career which combined the two.

I’ve held a variety of jobs in my day, from assistant to analyst, camp counselor to consultant. I have real affection for data analysis (I’m a sucker for a giant spreadsheet), strategy bull sessions, and economic forecasting. I genuinely believe in the power of the free market (it’s one of the reasons that I’ve been an NPR member for over a decade - because I think it’s my responsibility as a member of a capitalist society to pay for that which I consume).

All these things line up to make me seem like a shoo-in for a consulting career. In fact, that’s where I spent most of my time after completing my MBA - working independently and for boutique firms as a marketing consultant. And intellectually, yes, it was often very interesting. But inspiring…? Not so much.

The thing is, I had co-workers who truly loved solving the pricing and customer outreach problems faced by manufacturers of drywall and printers. I knew folks who thrilled at the prospect of examining a software company’s go-to-market strategy. I, on the other hand, didn’t have quite the heart for this work that my colleagues did.

I now understand those people who actually enjoy going to sleep and waking up thinking about work. I’m finally living the aphorism that loving what you do makes work seem…well, less like work.

Marketing in theater, direct to the consumer, is very different from the for-profit, business-to-business marketing that I had been ensconced in for four years. I am learning more every day, and I hope I can help make Redmoon the strongest organization it can possibly be.

And I’m psyched that now I know what it’s like to genuinely look forward coming to work in the morning.