#djjnell

You can download EP#014 by clicking on the URL below. URL: http://www.mediafire.com/?3gjryy7iaqq73cc

I need to write this out somewhere - and I like reading other people's list - so here it goes. In no particular order of importance.

1. Quit smoking by the end of the month. I couldn't stick with my July target date because I couldn't get out of work for the the first couple of days. I also want to line it up w/ my cycle so that my hormones are at a decent level.

2. Start building a mobile DJ desk. I have the saw - I just need the materials and the vision.

3. Draw every day. I haven't been drawing much. The studio has been an oven since June and I've been parked in the living room too much w/out a sketch pad watching Battlestar Galactica.

4. Start playing guitar again. Simple. I need to plan on it instead of just wandering into the music room and playing AC/DC riffs for 5 mins every 2 months.

5. Begin Halloween crafts. I want to set up at the fall YART. Plus I like skulls.

6. Work on new stuff for my October show at Savages. I want to have all different stuff that people aren't expecting. I won't upload any process pictures because I want it to be a surprise.

7. Go to the doctor. Too many little problems are adding up to a lot of pain, worry, and burying-my-head-in-the-sand.

8. Complete a demo DJ mix to hand out. This is a lot tougher than it seems and I'm a little overwhelmed. Making mixtapes is my favorite thing in the world - and mixing one that represents my style and my dj skills is a dooooozie.

9. Put together and send out various packages and letters to friends that live far away. THIS MEANS YOU.

10. Paint Jim's cardboard dulcimer thingy that he built.

11. Set up and paint my yellow suitcase to carry my dj gear.

12. Use projector for a painting.

So I made a big, risky investment with my tiny tax-refund. I could have: paid down some debt, saved the cash for an emergency, invested in our vehicle. But, with my significant other's grace, I got this. The thought process is that this will allow me to do more with my deejaying - which will open up more gig opportunities - which will earn some cash - which will help us eat. I know that just because one gets a rad new piece of equipment - your skill does not improve because you own it. Your skill improves by learning to use it. 

Doing dj stuff has been a super fun part of my life the past few years; I've just been using my laptop and the free-version of Virtual DJ (with a few custom tweaks!). But it has also put me in a few uncomfortable and/or embarrassing situations as well. I djed a friend's tiny apartment party - took tiny speakers, thinking they would suffice. I didn't think of how dumb it would look to others. Hipsters huddled in the kitchen around a new iphone. It didn't matter that I was fading songs together nice. The iphone was louder. I packed up and got the heck out of there.

But then there were nights like when I djed a youth group's "Prom," that was aimed at underprivileged teens. It was great. I played a ton of top 40 stuff - used silly effects and transitions - and the kids had a blast. It may seem dumb that my favorite gig was a church dance. But it was my favorite gig because the crowd had a good time - and THAT is what measures your success as a dj.

Well, maybe those kids just couldn't afford iPhones.

I digress...