J00F on DJing

Conway · Nov 16, 2011

https://www.facebook.com/notes/john-00-fleming/sacrifice/253102614738709

Yes I admit I'm doing my dream job. Well, others call it a job, but for me it's still a passionate hobby that I'm fortunate to make a living from. I get to travel the World with all expenses paid. I play at the biggest clubs and festivals across the World each and every weekend. Every single day is exciting for me as I find new music for my hobby. It never feels like work ever. This career comes at a heavy price, the sacrifice being the social aspect of my personal life. My life clashes with the regular World.

Most people work during the week, then have time off over the weekend. In my World I work weekends. I've been invited to hundreds of friends and family's barbecues, but I can count on one hand the amount of times I've attended them. I miss all my friends birthday parties. I’ve only been to one of their weddings. I’ve never been on holiday with them. Most people look forward to there mums home cooked Sunday roast, I think the last time I had one of those were when I lived with my parents over 20 years ago.

I started DJing at a very young age and this is the only life I know. While all my mates would organize huge nights out, they couldn't understand why I was working at a club. Back then the DJ thing wasn't such a big deal. Fast forward to today and they get
it.....not the ones who keep asking me to DJ at their weddings, I've given up trying to explain!

I spend most weekends in airports, hotels and clubs. The last thing I want to do if I manage to grab a sneaky week off is fly abroad and spend my time in yet another hotel. I associate airports and hotels with going to work. There's no way I can relax in either of those places, my heads goes into work/DJ mode. So family holidays are out the question, as they wait all year for that annual vacation abroad.

Weekend off and go clubbing? Not a chance! We call it busman's holiday here in the UK; meaning if you do a certain trade for a living, last thing you want to end up doing in your spare time will be the exact same thing. I can't relax in a club if I go out socially. I end up analyzing frequencies within tracks as they are playing. I end up as a zombie oblivious to the conversation around me as I stare up at the speakers and lights. The autopilot DJ in me sets to work. I actually feel like a fish out of water the other side of the DJ booth. It feels a strange experience as I've spent most of my clubbing life a DJ. If I decide to go for a dance, I’ll have an audience of mates staring at me as its a sight they never see. So I get paranoid with all the staring eyes and call it a day.

I'm the shyest person ever, it really doesn't make sense why I'm so comfortable as the sole person on a stage in front of thousands of people. I don't like being centre of attention, yet I adore this job as a DJ.
For all the things I have to sacrifice, the moment I play my first track makes things worth it. With all professions comes sacrifices, the main thing is to love what you do. The old cliché life is too short. I learned this lesson many years ago, every day is a gift, so enjoy it.
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J00F on DJing

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