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Not to be too depressing about it, but the reality is that not every DJ is going to be able to make a living off DJing. Many of us will have to hold down regular jobs during the day and DJ evenings and weekends. Again, for many of us that’s ok. For DJs who are new to the industry, that’s just the normal state of being for a while at least.

If you find yourself needing to hold down a day job so that you can pay bills, put food on the table, and generally live a comfortable life, then you should sit yourself down and meditate on this question: what kind of DJ do you want to be?

As I said, some DJs are totally happy DJing part-time. For those of you who really want to do nothing but DJing, then you have to accomplish some important things.

First, you have to work on your website, your press kit and your level of performance ability. Get those three into top form and you should have your pick of higher paying gigs.

Second, you have to maximize how you spend your time and figure out ways to keep the inspiration flowing. Do this:

  • Set deadlines. It’s really easy to get home from work every day, have dinner, go to the gym, watch tv, go to bed, and do it all over again tomorrow. Instead, decide that you’ll spend at least an hour every other night practicing your techniques or promoting yourself.
  • Relax with music. I know you just got home after a long day at work. I know you feel like flopping onto the couch. Instead, head out to see another DJ perform. Listen to how that DJ performs and think about how you would do it.
  • Take a break. Sometimes the best way to get inspired is to take a clean break away from DJing. Yes, this is opposite to what I said above. If you really are exhausted and in a bit of a rut, it really does help to step away, take a vacation, do something entirely different for a while. But, set a limit. Otherwise, you may find yourself staying away for too long. Make it a special long weekend, a two week vacation … then get back to it.
  • Hang out with DJs. I always have the best time when I’m hanging out with DJs. We understand each other. We don’t always have to be talking about the industry either. Just being around them can spark my creativity.

Over to you: How do you stay inspired when commitments keep pulling you away?