Note: The following blog post was originally posted on 3 May 2015.
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve engaged in conversations with different friends and associates about what it is that I get out of being a DJ. Specifically, my thoughts have surrounded why it is that I’m primarily a wedding DJ.
Simply put, using my own words, it’s because I have somewhat narcissistic tendencies.
According to Wikipedia, narcissism is described thusly:
Narcissism is the pursuit of gratification from vanity or egotistic admiration of one’s own attributes.
I suppose that I should articulate my chain of thought before anyone gets too caught up on the language to get where my head and my heart happen to be.
We hear all of the time how you should try to work at something that you love. They say that, if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. It’s why there are painters, musicians, athletes.
But I have a slight problem with the notion that you’ll never work a day in your life if you love what you do. You see, in order to get good at something, MOST things, it takes practice, which IS work. It takes dedication and focus. It takes drive, desire. I actually work, despite the fact that what I do is considered by many to be play.
Bear with me, I’m getting to my point in a bit.
I never aspired to be a DJ when I was growing up. I wanted a job in computer animation. That was what I wanted to do when I graduated from high school, any way. While I had an appreciation for music, being a DJ, especially a wedding DJ, was never an option. Life has an interesting way of guiding you toward places and things that you’d have never considered on your own, though.
The thing that I love most about being a wedding DJ; the thing that keeps calling me back, is the fact that I get to see one of those moments in time where the best of Humanity is present. It’s a pivotal moment in the lives of the newlyweds and their respective families. It’s a day that’s filled with Hope, that’s supposed to be centered around Love. With all of the worst of Humanity that we see on the news every day, it’s an escape; an opportunity to see a different side of the Human Condition.
Imagine that. Happiness. Hope. Love. Friendship. Family. All of that and more wrapped up in a few hours in one day of one couple’s lives. I get to play a part in that.
I’ve GOTTA be closing in on somewhere in the mid-600s when it comes to the number of events that I’ve done over the last eleven years; the vast majority of those events being wedding receptions. I have honed certain talents in an effort to take part in THAT day on countless occasions.
Yes, SOMEBODY’S gotta do it. Might as well be me, right?
No, those wedding receptions aren’t about me, not by a long shot. But I play a pivotal role in each and every one.
The smiles, the thanks, the compliments; those are all about ME. That’s all about receiving kudos for a job well done. That’s all about validation.
To quote a Faithless song right now, I want MORE.