As I took a walk the other evening, I contemplated both my love of data and the writing of this post. You see, this post was a tricky one for me to write. I must have written at least five drafts before I was semi-satisfied with my work. I had written, rewritten, and procrastinated for long enough; I wanted a workable draft that I could edit. So, I typed and deleted until I got to that point.

When I had written enough, I headed out for a walk, intending to listen to music and unwind at the end of the day. Instead I debated what it is that I like so much about data. About a mile or so from my home, I suddenly had words for it. Data for me is the science-y part of my role. It’s the reason I respect the rules of baking and accept that you need certain ratios to make a recipe work.

However, I also adore writing and words. My husband teasingly calls me Word Girl. Words are so different than data; they’re the artistic part of my role. This is the creative side that contemplates topping a pizza with ricotta and rhubarb. It’s the part of me that will debate what word to use in a sentence to make sure I fully express the way that I feel.

In my roles at both Think Tasty and WV Stables, I am fortunate that I get to embrace both of these interests. More often than not, my artsy side is seen via articles I write, recipes I create, and the passion I exude for food and horses.

However, my science side is very much a part of how I like to think and who I am, albeit less visible. I track visitor trends and update user engagement numbers. I study purchasing numbers looking for ways to increase sales. I complete these tasks for both my roles, as they each need data monitoring to be successful.

Although these tasks that I complete aren’t seen my by readers or club members, they do impact the experiences of both groups. For me, they’re not simply tasks that must be done, they’re tasks that I enjoy doing. I love spending hours digging deeper into data and creating spreadsheets. I thoroughly enjoy reviewing data, looking for trends, and determining what all those numbers mean.

Yes, I’m a recipe creating, article writing, community organizing, aftercare promoting woman who also loves working with data.