Inevitably, the dreaded question arises.
“So what do you do?”
And suddenly, I’m at a loss for words.
As my fifth-grade teacher would surely tell you, I am almost never quiet. But for some reason, this oft-asked question stifles me every time.
“What do you do, Melissa?”
I envy those who do one thing and do it very well. How glorious it must be to answer, “rocket scientist” or “pastry chef” or even “rocket chef” or “pastry scientist.”. But to me, the question feels unanswerable.
At 16, I was a jazz saxophonist and studio musician in Atlanta, GA. In college, I made films and performed standup comedy and comedic bits for Top 40 Radio. At 23, I co-founded my first company and sold it at 30. In between, I wrote the music for the Atlanta Olympic bid and helped design dozens of music technology products to market worldwide.
I went on to lead teams at one of the most famous software companies in the world and worked with magnificent musicians like BB King and Cyndi Lauper to bring interactive music to the internet. I’ve helped other entrepreneurs launch their companies, several of whom became serial entrepreneurs themselves, and co-founded a video technology company that’s still growing today.
So am I an entrepreneur? A creative technologist?
Yes. But to know me by my career is to hardly know me at all.
For starters, my coolest and most meaningful job is raising two unique, inspiring young men with my husband of a jillion years. My art, whether design, music, mixed media, photography, performance, or writing, allows me to tell a variety of stories through sound, word, shape, and color. I’ve been fortunate to see some of it on LPs, the stage, and in print. And giving back? Oh, how I love to make a meaningful difference—though preferably behind the scenes. (I’ve never been ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille.)
“So tell me, what do you do?”
I still can’t answer that question. But I know what I don’t do.
