Get ready for a remix
with dj shelly rockstar
Featured BOSS of the Month
Most of us grow up believing that you pick a path in life and then you follow it all the way to the end. How many times have we heard “Figure out what you do well and stick to it!”.? This is fine advice if you grow up wanting to be a doctor. You go to medical school because your sole purpose in life is to be a doctor. Well you finish school and become a doctor and live happily ever after, right? Well what if despite being successful in one career your passion leads you to another field or even two? This month’s Featured Boss Micheale Washington aka DJ Shelly Rockstar was successful in her chosen career and then she decided to try a remix.
BOSSY!: After over 12 years as a successful corporate headhunter, you’ve switched it up and you’re on your way to becoming one of Miami’s hottest DJ’s overnight! How did that happen?
Shelly Rockstar: I don’t think of it as a switch up at all. Remix is a good word for it. I value job stability more so out of survival instinct, but I’ve always been able to cultivate my more creative side. My parents taught me to value traditional education, but encouraged my artistic side. My mother played her records on the weekend. My dad blasted his rock music from his van on many a school pick up. All this had an influence on me musically, but I was also a book nerd, soap opera fanatic and a 6 days a week church girl. I grew up in one of the very best times of music. The birth of Hip Hop was heaven sent. Just think about it, the basic core of Hip Hop is Mcing(Poetry/Writing) B-boying (Dance) Graffiti (Art) and of course DJing. Anyone who has known me for any extended period of time will vouch for my eclectic but basically bomb ass collection of music. Djing was a natural progression.
After setting goals for myself in the professional world, I found that I wasn’t being fulfilled. I didn’t experience the same type of exhilaration when I achieved a great milestone. I was clocking hours, meeting sales goals, taking courses, all of that. The payoff, underwhelming. When Relief replaces Excitement, it’s time to find a new passion.
The birth of my first child accelerated my entrance into the world of Djing. I had time away from the job and was able to think about what really mattered to me. My daughter brought about a wonderful cleansing change and it was then that I decided I could make our family stronger economically while I pursed something I had not been this passionate about in years.