The Big Investment (Investing Time)

By Joy Lynn Clark

11/24/2014

Investing Time By Dazee Dizzle

I always knew what I wanted to do.  Put things on paper, and perform.  As a kid, I experimented with paper.  I wrote stories, made paper dolls, water-color painted, poetry, color pencil, and eventually songs.  It all started with my first diary.  It became clear that people were going to read it, so I decided to focus on songs so people wouldn’t take it so personal.

I also experimented with performance, I sang on multiple choirs, did some talent shows, got into modeling, performance poetry, and dancing.  I knew this was the life for me.

It has always been a struggle to put my music together with my performance.  I’m more likely to just get up there and freestyle, deliver a poem, or just do some straight up a cappella.  People love it too.  In addition, they always wanted my demo.

Two things occurred to me at that time.  I am going to need some recordings and I am going to have to book myself some shows.  Both were going to require some skill.

I started working with different promoters around the city.  I did this for years.

I also did work in marketing, promotion, and technology.  I was also performing regularly.

I worked with different producers but, they just weren’t as serious about my career as I was.

I started making beats.  I tried to run some beat making software on my DOS based computer.  It just wasn’t going to work.  I bought a multimedia machine with windows.

The Technology story Pre-Y2K.   I  got a cd/dvd burner, speakers, a scanner, a color printer and the internet.   I know what you are thinking, most people have that kind of set up.  Well, when I first got it, I installed some music software a friend gave me.  I liked the sounds but I was unfamiliar with how to use it.

 In addition, I got very interested in publishing my poetry online.  I bought my first domain and I published a couple of poems up on this web hosting portal (angelfire.com).  One of the poems was previously published by the International Library of Poetry.  However, I had to code it in html and it was a learning curve.  This was a one pager that took many 3 1/4 floppys and alot of time with ftp on a dial up.  This is another way I realized I was going to need more education, space, and speed.

I got a job with a start up software developer.  Boy did it start up!  They from 20 to approx. 200 employees while I was there.  We went through the Y2K thing.  Which sounded scarier than it was.  They also went IPO. 

Eventually, another friend gave me a copy of some music software I like (at the time it was Sonic Foundry).  I liked how my tracks were coming out.  On the other hand, my recordings were horrible and it became clear that I was going to have to go to school  for more education. 

I decided to go back to school for multimedia production and design in 2001.  I began using Fl-studio that same year.

After I obtained my Associate’s degree and continued on with Multimedia Production and Design.  The major was full of things that I wanted to know about.  Audio production (I had the music part, the audio production needed alot of help), Packaging, I had the eye but not the hands.  Great, just what I wanted to know.

I did not care for 3-D or web design though.  I looked over the list of majors and changed to Advertising and Design. Yay, I am about to graduate.  I signed up for the portfolio review.

My presentation was going to be expensive.  I had to produce, design and package a CD.  I came up short on the money part.  I dropped out.