Why Do Everything?

Okay let’s list this out … Artist in the sense of drawing, painting, sculpting etc, Dancer and Dance Instructor, Vocal Artist and Music Producer of 12 albums, DJ, DJ News Reporter, YouTuber in the DJ world, Writer for both websites and magazines and finally (for now) we shall put Author.

I have been asked more than once in my life, why I quit something and move on to something else. Especially in this “must have a niche” world of social media and videos. Why am I then expanding into other things instead of focusing on part of one? In other words “Why Do Everything?”

There is a very short answer and a very long answer and I hope that this becomes the one in between the short and the long.  As stated in my book The Creative Virus, most of my life I thought I was chasing Fame and Fortune. I still might be in some way, but now I know my main focus is to make a living at being creative so I don’t have to work a day job. By day job I mean anything that’s not creative and not working for myself.

Over my life of doing so many things from drawing when I was a kid to writing my own book, I’ve always wanted to consider myself simply an artist. By artist I mean someone who creates an imagines and expresses themselves through any type of medium possible.

When I started out in the ’80s drawing, I didn’t have the internet and the ability to post creations or have an Etsy store like I do now. So I didn’t see how I could make a living at drawing, especially where I grew up. I then got into dancing and realized how good I was at it and tried to make a go at it professionally but being a professional dancer is not easy, especially if you don’t live in an area where things aren’t centered around the entertainment business such as movies and television.

Then moving on to producing music and being a vocal artist. This was something I was able to do at the beginning of the computer age. Make all my music digitally and then go out on tour or at least do shows all over the place. People would pay someone to perform at smaller stages. The only bad thing is, you will never get signed to a record label if you’re older than the age of 27 and I was.

All that time I was DJing because people kept paying me to DJ even though I was trying to make it go at pretty much everything else. After a short stint in Corporate America, I realized that life was ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NOT FOR ME. I decided to make a full-time go at DJing. 

Next problem, as a DJ gets older they usually move on to primarily DJing weddings and events not clubs and bars. I knew I never wanted to do that so I had to try to figure out the next step. The next step turned out to be becoming a reporter for Disc Jockey News.

Take a quick leap 10 years into the future from that point and you find me getting the opportunity to speak and DJ at Expos in both Atlantic City and Las Vegas. That is when I realized the “DJ Reporter / Teacher” was not wanted to do for the rest of my life. I just didn’t find it enjoyable to sit and talk about opinions or thoughts when it comes to types of music or what equipment you “should or shouldn’t use” 

I know the lockdown and 2020 were unbelievably bad for some people. For me it was an amazing time. I realized that it wasn’t the fame or fortune that I wanted. It was simply more opportunities to be creative and not work a day job. That brings me to today where I am an Artist, DJ and Author … for now. Who knows what the future holds and I have no plans to stop anytime soon.

It took me over 50 years and a world wide pandemic to figure this out. Let this be an encouragement to you finding you passion. The life is very achievable but don’t be surprised if the path you have to take to get there doesn’t look like you imagined it would.

Thanks for reading!

God Bless,

MJ

(March 13, 2023)

Michael Joseph

Leave a Comment