Mid-2022 update: Life has been great🥺 I started my DJ journey six years ago... it started out as a hobby until I realized it was my true passion and didn’t want to pursue anything else. When I graduated in 2016 I told myself I’d give myself two years to make it as a full-time DJ. My professor asked: “Two years? Why not five?” I laughed and said I don’t think I can hold on that long. But I did. Two years passed by, I was tutoring English/TOEFL full-time and DJing on the side, but I still couldn’t give it up. When I moved to LA, I had to rely on my parents to help me out financially and also tried a job that made me extremely depressed for 9 months. But I still couldn’t give DJing up. When my visa was coming to an end, I contemplated whether I should just move back to Taiwan. But I opted to go through the lengthy and taxing process of getting an artist visa. My mom asked me: “why do you want to stay there if you’re barely surviving?” But I just couldn’t give DJing up, and I knew I had to stay in LA. Fast forward to now. The past 6 months has been the first time in the last 6 yrs that I’ve been able to DJ full-time without any financial aid from my parents or any other side hustle. I played at Coachella. I was flown out for NYC NFT week to play alongside Rich Brian and Josh Pan. I have a monthly party @nopressure.la which also hosts @rocktheboat.la and starting a bi-weekly at Queensberry. It hasn’t been easy, and I am so so proud of myself. I still get anxiety sometimes. Some days I compare myself to others a lot. Sometimes I look at other djs who are way younger than me or who don’t have to go through visa issues and think “damn I wish I can be them.” But then I have to remind myself that that’s not healthy and can really affect my mental wellbeing. Everyone is different. Everyone has their unique paths. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their own struggles that may not be visible to me. When I’m looking at them wishing I could be them, some could be looking at me wishing they could be me. And when I look at how far I’ve come. None of that matters anymore. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.