This is a question I get a lot from people; so what better way to start my first blog then by answering it! Why did I get into DJing?
I'd love to say I became a DJ because my dad was a DJ growing up. Although I'm super proud of him and his hard work ethic, that's not my story. As a kid, I even worked weddings with my dad when he was DJing, but for some reason it never clicked that I could be a female dj.
The main impetus began when I broke my ankle swing dancing. I was on a competitive swing dance team and broke my ankle doing a front flip at practice one night (tri-malleolar fracture in case you were wondering). Now, that in itself did not become my reason to start DJing, but it definitely set-off a chain of events that began my DJ journey.
Breaking my ankle set me back both physically and mentally. Although I still returned to my dance team months later and even began doing aerials again; other dancers had surged ahead of me in their progress. Also, the continued support and encouragement I needed was not there as the focus had shifted away from me and onto the other thriving dancers. I made the difficult decision to leave my dance team and pursue other interests.
Enter DJing
I knew I needed a new hobby and interest to occupy my free time. Dance and music have always defined my life. I've been in dance studios since I was 5 years old. Dance has always been my passion and I followed it all the way into college. I even have a Master of Fine Arts degree in dance from the University of California, Irvine (go Anteaters!), and a Bachelor of Science degree in dance science from California State University, Long Beach (go 49ers!).
At the time of quitting my dance team, I worked in marketing for a beauty brand. As the marketing director, I had to organize and put together a beauty event. This required me to hire a DJ. On the day of the event, announcements needed to be made for raffle prizes. I took the mic and got the job done! Afterwards, people complimented me on how good I sounded on the mic. Hiring the DJ and seeing what the DJ did, in addition to my announcement compliments got me thinking, "Hmmm... I wonder if that's something I could/should do!"
Suddenly, it all clicked like a light bulb! I've always been a performer. I love music. I love high energy. Why have I never thought of being a female dj before?!?!
Female DJs Don't Exist
Here is why I never considered being a female dj before - because they didn't exist! Well, okay, maybe they did, but I had never been exposed to one. Not a single one! It really upsets me that I never saw or heard of a female dj growing up, but this is probably a topic for a separate blog post. I never had a female dj role model and it makes me bummed. I find it very exciting that there are many female dj's now kicking butt and taking names in the music industry!
Never Looking Back
I decided to meet with a dj locally to learn some djing basics. Before I invested too much money or time, I wanted to be sure it would be something I'd enjoy. Sure enough - I fell in love! Everyone told me I just needed to get equipment and start practicing. So I bought a pair of Technics turntables and the Rane 57 mixer off a guy on Craigslist. I brought them home, set them on the floor, and thought, "Now what?" LOL. "How do I start practicing?" I couldn't even figure out how to get sound to come out of these things!
Long story short, I then bought speakers and a table to put it all on so I no longer have to practice on the floor! Haha! I knew this newfound passion would be lasting a long time into my future, so I invested in the certification program at Scratch DJ Academy. That was almost 6 years ago because I've been certified for 5! It's been a crazy journey and there have been a lot of bumps in the road. I don't doubt there will be many more bumps to come! But meeting like-minded, kind, supportive, fun, artistic people has been absolutely priceless and I welcome more and more of that into my life!
I hope to have many more years of DJing in my future and I hope to be surrounded by many more female djs in the industry! Thank you for reading this and being part of my journey!
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