Saved Up My Pennies
I've always lived in London and started buying music from the age of 16. I saved up my pennies from a part-time job I had when I was 17 and bought a couple of second-hand turntables, one of which allowed me to change the speed. This was my first introduction to DJing.
I would practice mixing for hours every day. I loved it and with any spare money I had I would buy more records. After about a year, I had enough money to buy a new DJ turntable. Friends were interested in the mixtapes I did and my hobby slowly evolved. I hosted my first event at the age of 18 which basically involved friends and was on a small scale but everyone had a great time.
Networking
It wasn't obvious to me at first that I had been constantly networking.
Every time I met someone my hobby would come into conversation and mixtapes would change hands soon after. The networking paid off when I befriended a dance music agent who knew several of London's West End nightclub managers. I told him that I had been posting mixtapes to the clubs in the hope that I would be offered the chance to play. He said he had spoken to the club manager of The Limelight who was happy for me to play for one hour on a Saturday to see how I connect with the crowd.
My first residency was not offered on the spot but I was asked to DJ at the manager's wedding that was taking place the same month. I insisted that I would do it for free as a thank you for giving me the opportunity to play at the club. Whatever I had done to impress him worked because a week after his wedding I was offered the Friday night residency.
From that point, I never looked back. I would meet other DJs, promoters and club owners and, on occasion, would be offered work.
Since 1992 I had residencies consistently up until December 2015. The owner of the last club I worked at had been looking for ways to increase the customer headcount and eventually decided to hand over all administration to a company that provided everything from promotion to entertainment staff. How can I blame a businessman who wanted to improve his club but needed to make big changes that resulted in letting several people go?
Life Event Changed My Outlook
In any case, a new member of the family completely changed my outlook on life and I didn't want to spend most of my weekend asleep when the little one was awake. If the decision to let me go had not been made for me I would have left soon after anyway.
Since finishing DJing, I have not missed working in the clubs and I have not bought any music since. It was definitely a sign that it was not a passion but something that I had really enjoyed until something better came along to take my attention away.
Passion
Having started on the digital marketing training, and being made aware that success could be determined by my passion, really made me question how I could possibly find out what my passion is.
Several days of head-scratching resulted in me deciding to choose the affiliate marketing route which means that I am selling someone else's product that they are passionate about. I would need to learn the product or service inside out but at least it gives me the opportunity to earn while I learn. Discovering what my passion is will take time but I am hoping there will come a moment, maybe completely unexpected, when it will become obvious what my passion and talents are and how they can give value to others.
I am now conscious of my procrastination, my doubts, my lack of confidence and my fears. However, I am not afraid of hard work and I know that when I put my mind to something I can make it work, no matter how long that may take and no matter how many times I am faced with failure.
