Sharing. Sharing love, sharing passions, sharing emotions, sharing energy, sharing experiences. I’ve always been in a quest to live these moments. For me, a meaningful and purposeful life is all about living experiences while bonding and building memories with other humans. What makes me happy is connection. It can be having a simple conversation with a stranger in a coffee shop, opening up about your feelings to your sister, or dancing in a room full of strangers at 4am. I have always lived and seeked for these moments. It’s what I do and it’s what I’m good at. To be honest, I tend to overshare. I am addicted to bonding with other humans. It’s scary yet so beautiful. Scary because I rely so much on other humans and feel so vulnerable around them. Beautiful because I never feel more fulfilled and powerful than when I share a strong moment with another person.
This brings me to music and how djing has brought me so much.
Two years ago, I went through a tough time. I was far from home and covid was still all over the place. Socializing had never been so difficult. My grandmother, who was my second mother, passed away. Cherry on top: I fell in love with the wrong person who shattered my self-confidence. My mental health was mirrored on the outside. I ate my emotions and gained weight. For months, my self-confidence had never been lower and my anxiety problems had never been higher. After my grandmother passed away, I decided to go back home and stay with my mother. I needed her as much as she needed me. For weeks, I slept more than 12 hours every day, attended online classes and watched tv with my mother. Depressing? seems like it. But no, this is exactly what I needed. I needed a slow routine to figure out my current state and accept that I was not in a good place. I’ve been told that accepting is the first step to recovery.
After weeks of taking time to reflect, I woke up one day in a different mood. I had more motivation than the other mornings. It was not high, but it was there. And god, it felt good. Waking up with the desire to accomplish something. This specific day, I needed a breath of fresh air. I remembered that I had been willing to try out DJing for a while. The same day, in an urge of motivation, I purchased a Pioneer DDJ 400 controller. For weeks, I would dj for 4 to 6 hours straight every day. I was obsessed. Music gave me a new goal to attain. It allowed me to disconnect and escape from my daily anxiety.
My desire to share came back. After months of being trapped in my mind, my motivation to bond with other humans reappeared. For months, I realized I had lost myself. I had lost the fire that made me who I am: a sensitive yet passionate and happy person. I wanted to share my hobby with my loved ones. I wanted to gather my friends around music. And I loved it. I still do. Sharing my passion for electronic music and making people dance. Matching my energy to the people’s vibe. Connecting with strangers through music. Everything about djying makes me happy.
After some months, I met a group of great guys who offered me to incorporate their collective. From there, I met people, like me. Humans who loved gathering other humans around music. Since then, I am part of this community. We dj, we organize events, and we gather people around our common passion. This new hobby opened new doors that helped me grow as a person. I took back my revenge and gained back my confidence. When I look back, this opportunity was a game changer. And they have no clue how much they have helped me.
DJs do not necessarily have the best reputation in this world. Being a DJ is not taken seriously. Some people perceive Djs as people who club, drink and party hard. Musicians despise DJs as they don’t actually play an instrument. Some of it is true. Yes, DJs like to party. And yes, DJs are not musicians. DJs are much more. DJs are givers. They share. They share their music, they share their passion, they share their love for life. DJs reunite people around one thing: living the moment. They offer a break from the anxiety of the everyday life. They offer a space where everybody can gather to fully live the present. Humans with different stories, different lifestyles, different backgrounds, for a few hours, cross the same path. They share a common moment. For some, the memory will be more impactful than others but nevertheless, it’s all about strangers bonding through music.
And I love it. It’s part of me now. It’s my secret garden. A place where I can go to when life gets hard. When my relationships, my job and the everyday difficulties of life cross my path, I have music. When I dig music, the only purpose is to share the music I love and making people happy through my findings. Even for 2 dancers, for a couple of minutes, it’s enough for me.
Djying has allowed me to gain confidence and meet incredible people that share the same values than me. It also reminds me that I have more in life than my everyday routine. It’s a great escape, that I cherish. Obviously, I have more to life than music: I work, I have my friends, my family, I build a life for myself. But I know I can always come back to this hobby that makes me happy, whatever happens and wherever I am. Every person that has a passion can relate. Behind organizing events and behind the decks, I am the happiest girl. I feel vulnerable yet powerful. I contribute in making people happy for a short time. It might sound crazy, but it does give purpose to my life.
As I said, a purposeful life all comes down to sharing. Sharing love, sharing passions, sharing emotions, sharing energy, sharing experiences. Sharing music.
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