Have you stopped and thought recently about how rapidly technology has changed our lives? You might be thinking of mobile phones, right? There exist several ways than ever to forge the path that enables you to live the type of lifestyle you want. For an artiste, there are more means than ever available to get your art or product out into the hands of other people, all around the world but for those of us who are more than willing to perform and be respected, why is it still so hard to be noticed?
If you think about it deeply, it’s a ridiculous question. It would certainly be easier to be noticed for your photography if you had one of the best cameras in the world or a lot more easier for a professional DJ to be spotted if there were higher entry barriers for good performances such as the cost of records, turntables or CDJs, and the skill to mix them manually. There would also be lots of photographers and professional DJs around the world with great talent and potential that would never have even realised their worth because of these entry barriers.
We can learn how to do just about anything if we want it enough for nearly nothing because all the information, we could ever want is right at our fingertips. And we have the entire world on the other end of our computer screen. The entire earth is our potential audience. Do you know what the entry barrier for most things is these days? Ourselves.
Here’s the thing, it’s difficult to just get picked, really difficult. It’s nearly impossible. If you wish to devote your efforts towards getting picked or discovered it is completely your choice. But, it’s a bit of a dangerous thought to assume that you have no choice in the matter. It’s simply amazing how much of a disconnect there is to be successful as if technology allows for laziness. Technology enables the hustle; it doesn’t replace it. This isn’t bad news. It’s easier than it has ever been to build your future.
All it means is that you are still in the driver’s seat. There are more resources available to you and a higher potential audience. There is also plenty of tracks to listen to, DJ demos and routines to sort through. When everyone is an expert, nobody is. You can’t stand out by just being a competent or even good DJ. You need to display a level exception-ability.
The problem isn’t that it’s impossible to pick yourself, you need a new plan. I understand that it’s harder than being anointed. Your talent deserves the shift in strategy that will let you do your best work which is far easier than to put your future into someone else’s hands. Just like being on a job hunt, opportunities are not going to inherently seek you out.
What you need to do much better is to realize the ways that you can provide value to customers that you’re talking to, as well as to your audience. Above all, be your promoter while you put in the hustle hours that makes stand out as a successful DJ. You need to make yourself visible to your audience and your clientele. Give your customers a reason that you should be allowed to command their dancefloor. The problem with some more experienced DJs is not that they are not good enough, they aren’t willing to get out of their comfort zone. They are stagnant.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and nothing is guaranteed. If you shift your focus on becoming valuable to others, you’re already much more well-equipped to advance yourself along your journey (and you’ll enjoy it a lot more, too). The bitter and downtrodden DJ is rarely having a good time, and it’s easy for these people to shift the blame onto other people like those who never gave him/her a chance.
A better approach to it all involves having a bit of thick skin, be humble. You have to be proving yourself so much that it’s impossible to be missed as you delight the dance floor, connect with your fans, and surprises your audience.
My recommended pace pusher for this week is Fireboy DML – Scatter
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