HOW DID YOU BECOME A DJ?

MY DAD WAS NEVER A DJ. MY UNCLES WERE NOT DJS. I DON'T HAVE A BROTHER. I NEVER DATED A DJ. I LEARNED BECAUSE I WANTED TO. I THINK WHEN I STARTED THERE WAS A MISCONCEPTION THAT A GUY MUST HAVE GOTTEN ME INTO THIS. PEOPLE OFTEN ASSUME THE SOUND/LIGHTING GUY IS THE DJ BEFORE ME. NOPE. 

LIKE MANY PEOPLE, I ENJOY LISTENING TO MUSIC. I USED TO SPEND HOURS RECORDING SONGS FROM THE RADIO, WRITING LYRICS (NOT ALWAYS CORRECTLY) OF MY FAVORITE SONGS. YOU KNOW, YOU HAD TO REWIND THE TAPE AND LISTEN AGAIN JUST TO GET THE WORDS WRITTEN DOWN.

OF COURSE WHEN DIGITAL MUSIC BECAME A THING, I USED TO MAKE CDS FOR ALL OF MY FRIENDS. I TRIED TO PERSONALIZE AND PLAN THE PLAYLIST PERFECTLY FOR EACH FRIEND. THEY REALLY ENCOURAGED ME TO BE A DJ, WHICH AT THE TIME WAS SO FAR FETCHED IN MY MIND. 

THERE WAS A POINT WHEN I REALLY WANTED TO LEARN. I WATCHED THE DJS AT THE PARTIES AND IN THE CLUBS BUT NEVER THOUGHT I COULD DO IT. THERE WERE SO FEW FEMALE DJS AT THE TIME AND I KNEW NONE OF THEM. I HAD TRIED MIXING WITH VINYL A FEW TIMES BUT I REALLY NEEDED EQUIPMENT OF MY OWN. 

LATER ON IN LIFE WHEN I HAD SOME MONEY (SHOUT OUT TO UNCLE SAM), I REACHED OUT TO SOME DJS AND FOUND OUT THE EQUIPMENT I NEEDED TO BUY (THANKS ANDREW AKA XP). I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE MET VON KISS, FROM HER THEN GIRLFRIEND - NOW WIFE, WHO GAVE ME SOME TIPS ON WHERE TO START.

I PRACTICED AND PRACTICED AND PRACTICED. I SUCKED. DON'T GET ME WRONG, I KNEW MUSIC AND UNDERSTOOD BEAT MATCHING. I JUST WASN'T THERE YET. TOOK MY FIRST GIG ANYWAY. MET MORE PEOPLE, GOT SOME HONEST FEEDBACK, AND PRACTICED A LOT MORE. 

I DON'T KNOW WHAT PEOPLE EXPECT FROM A FEMALE DJ OR ME SPECIFICALLY BUT I HAVE BEEN DETERMINED TO DO THIS. I LOVE WHAT I DO.