Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Minnick.
Hi Lisa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2015, while working as a nurse, I decided to learn an instrument to cope with dark times. I chose the fiddle. It’s an emotional instrument that could express things I couldn’t put into words through my music. I became obsessed with making music. After teaching myself to play, I had the opportunity to play in churches, open mics, and with fantastic musicians and bands. I was surrounded by incredible musicians who poured knowledge into me and took an interest in me. The day that I picked up the violin, I knew I wanted to one day work in music full-time. I ran across a couple searching for a musician for their wedding because their DJ canceled at the last minute. Frantically, I scrapped together a DJ facade, lighting, and mixing equipment and taught myself to DJ super quick. It was the most liberating experience. I fell in love instantly with watching people losing themselves in a moment because of music. I watched how they forgot all their worries and just lived to the fullest during a song. I decided then that I wanted to concentrate on DJing. After that wedding, the referrals started coming in quickly; I was booking about 6 gigs a month. Then it grew like wildfire. After a short time, I decided to leave my nursing career and focus on music. It was terrifying, honestly, but the leap allowed me to focus on every aspect of my business, turning it into a full-service DJ business.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Music is never a smooth road. It takes time and consistency, tons of practice, pointing out your flaws and improving them, making lots of mistakes and getting good at recovery, and learning how to read body language to know what kind of song someone needs at a particular moment. Learning all the sound equipment took time. Improving business practices is a daily task. The scariest thing as a small business is being at the mercy of when people want services. One day, you could make nothing and no leads; another day, you could make thousands. And you are being at the mercy of your audience. One day, you can be working with a super hype crowd; the next, you could be working with an unresponsive crowd. You have to learn to get creative to create the vibe. Sometimes, you work with people on the biggest day of their lives, their wedding day. That has a vast array of emotions for everyone involved. So it’s essential to learn how to be calm in their storm. Another challenge is work-life balance. As a DJ and Musician, the most popular booked days are Fridays and Saturdays, sometimes Sundays. There are lots of weekends when I don’t get to enjoy family, so learning a balance and how to adjust to that is an obstacle. Learning how to juggle all business things strategically is an art.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to become more familiar with it, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a full-service DJ/MC and a violinist. I specialize in mixing and mashing songs, beats, and tones to create a particular vibe. On the violin, I cover any song that is requested from me. I particularly love pop and rock covers. I also offer lighting, a photo booth, karaoke, musical bingo, and other services that help make an event personal and enjoyable. As an MC, I create a detailed timeline for all my clients so they can relax during their event, and allow me to do all the timeline management and keep everything flowing. I am known for my dance floor atmosphere. I am not a DJ who is super vocal and demanding on the dance floor. I like to allow the music to do the work. I realize that people only come to watch me perform at some events. They come to enjoy their time with the host. So, I like to be a background item. I want to create an environment where the attention is on the guests, not me. I am proud of using music to make guests go from 0-1,000 with creative mixing. It’s incredible how you can combine different songs, tweak the beat, or change the speed of a song to create a hype environment. Time, configurations, skills, and thoughts go into every transition. And I like my guests to think that it is just a natural thing to get the full effect. What sets me apart from others? I’m passionate about what I do. I do a lot of planning. My planning processes have been designed to make things very easy. I have implemented online planning to make sure that I have every detail. I strive for my clients to be comfortable with me. I value that they trusted me with the most important thing going on in their life. My clients become my friends and family. I root for them long after the event is over. My services are more than just services. It’s a relationship.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?
If you are considering any work in music, do it. Pick up the instrument, buy the equipment, start researching music, and learn from other musicians. They love to answer questions and have their brains picked about music. Start working on small things. No matter how small, any work generates knowledge that will never leave you. You’ll use it later. Be okay with making mistakes; correct them humbly and quickly. Be honest with yourself. Most new musicians get anxious before performing or even speaking on a mic. The only thing that eases that is to keep doing it. You can’t learn to drive a parked car.
The stage is what you make it. Put a plan in your mind of what you want to create and work towards that; do it for yourself only. The only thing I wish I knew starting is that I wish I had given more emphasis on practicing. You can’t get the time back that you didn’t practice. The more you practice, the better you get. Looking back, if I had put more time into practicing, I would have gotten farther ahead quicker. Be bold and learn things you know about. You’ll surprise yourself with how easily you can learn something you are passionate about. Surround yourself with positive role models who are eager to help you and that you can learn from. When you practice, do it for yourself. Set your expectations. Don’t fall back on the support of others. It is easy to get discouraged when others have different enthusiasm for what your dreams are. That’s okay. Remember that people sometimes only get to see the finished product and only some of the work that went into it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amplifiedmobiledj.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/amplifiedmobiledj
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amplifiedmobiledj
Image Credits
Images by Victoria Hensley with Johnson City Aerial Photography
