Being a dungeon master is an odd thing. They are the most rare sort of gamer since players always outnumber them. And each DM is a little different from any other. Why? Because of their DMing experiences with their gaming group(s).
In some respects each is an endemic species found only in that tiny circle of friends, each growing in response to the unique pressures of running a game for those individual players - in response to that environment. The more exposure to more types of gamers and types of group dynamics a DM has the more they can respond to a wide variety of challenges, true. But like the bard you can risk becoming a jack of all trades, master of none.
Now If you DM for a particular group of friends for a long period of time you all grow together and can pass through all the different phases of gaming together. The power gamer, the heavy role-player, etc. You can learn to specialize in catering to that individual group. Any group that has gamed together for a long time and has a guest DM step in or has gone to a pick up game at a local game store or a game at a con knows the odd feeling of having a completely different DM that does things differently that they're used to. And each DM knows the feeling of "uh oh... what the heck kind of players ARE these?" when new players with radically different styles meet at the table.
I for one enjoy being one of those rare species of DMs that has been with the same gaming group, more or less, for 20+ years. It's a whole different sort of challenge, in a way. Coming up with new material and new stories and ways to engage the players who have been through countless adventures with you before. Story-wise you really begin to push yourself to try different things. To put a new twist on and old setting or plot line. At least that's always been the fun part for me - the story telling. And of course the playing and the camaraderie. But that's the social aspect.
But each DM knows the joyful toil of creating something from nothing. Of second guessing yourself and of fine tuning. Of research into odd subjects just because it might put a new spin on something. Researching ancient cultures, climates, languages, animals, caving, military history, political history, story telling devices, you name it, so long as it can enrich your game somehow. We mine movies and popular culture looking for ways to make things our own. To mashup ideas in new ways to make something unique. To toil away in solitude making something you hope others will enjoy as much as you have assembling it all in the first place.
To be a DM means to never stop creating. To never stop learning. To never stop evolving. And to never stop giving. For me its one of the few things I can give away and be truly happy to do so with no hidden strings or expectations. Its a labor of love. Pure and simple. No wonder I just can't quit doing it.
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