We recently connected with DJ Lyris and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, DJ thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Yes, I’ve absolutely been able to earn a full-time living as a creative. Just a quick background from the previous interviews, in 2018 I was terminated from a company I was with for 14.5 years; however, during my time with that company I began growing as a professional dj. Additionally, I started learning other ways to create avenues to expand as a dj/creative. I officially became a full-time dj in 2018 and by 2020, during Covid, I launched my internet radio station, WLAG Timeless Radio. WLAG Timeless Radio is a musical time capsule, to give listeners a nostalgic journey through music spanning multiple decades from the 60’s to the 2000’s. As the music director/producer, I curate and produce all content. Additionally, during 2020, I began dj’in online through Twitch, which is an internet based platform where thousands of dj’s have began creating a community of listeners and subscribers. Lastly, I have been able to bridge these two platforms, to give my subscribers and listeners exclusive content and merchandise through my patron page.

The journey to launch these multiple avenues began from one idea, that grew into another, and so on. I would say that 2020 gave me an opportunity to really create the reality I wanted for myself, which was to be a full time creative with the ability to pivot creatively in any environment, and not to depend on one source of income. As a lot of creatives found out during that time, nothing is a definite security source and fortunate for me I learned that in 2018, which was the gift that kept on giving. LOL.

In 2021, I was told by the entertainment company I worked for, that if I didn’t comply with vaccination requirements that I would no longer be able to make a living as a dj. Again my experiences taught me that nothing can stop what I truly envision and create for myself; and even if I’m not doing work for that company, I will always be able to create avenues for myself as a creative. As of today, not only do I have the aforementioned platforms as a source of income for my creative work; but it has also launched another avenue as a Twitch producer for other businesses and creatives that wish to expand virtually. So every single experience has set me up for the next; and I’ve learned that any rejection is just a redirection.

DJ, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Lyris, and I go by DJ Lyris. It’s amazing how many people are surprised at my real name but it always sets me up for “story time” LOL. My mom found my name in my father’s graduation program, which would become my alma mater (Tennessee State University). She was searching for L-names and loved the name Lyris, because it reminded her of the word lyric; and my father being an avid music collector it was destined. So when deciding on a dj name it only made sense to use my name.

I began collecting and immersing myself in music from my very first memories as a child. I always made mixtapes and CD’s for myself, family, and friends, and it was a hobby until 2009, when I lost my father. Losing my father shifted my perception of what it meant to live a purposeful life; and while I still had my corporate gig, I wanted more in life. I moved to Atlanta in 20210, and that birthed my journey in the dj culture officially.

Fast forward to losing my job in 2018, I learned not only could I become a professionally dj, but also begin crafting multiple platforms for old school music to be shared globally. My brand is about infusing the harmony that music brings into our lives through multiple media and virtual outlets. Music is our universal language that connects us all; I choose to share music that invokes nostalgia. One of my favorite musical lyrics from Stevie Wonder is ” Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand,” has become a statement that embodies what I do as a creative. I’m here to provide people with music that connects us all to that universal concept “love.” From DJ Lyris the Hybrid Specialist, to WLAG Timeless Radio, to my Twitch community, whom I call my Soul Family, I use every platform to spread that message through my services and creative works. The alias “The Hybrid Specialist” means I specialize in creative mixing. I incorporate all the music that has influenced me and continues to influence me through blending and mixing. I love to take all types of music and creative musical experiences and blend them together.

I share music through my internet radio station, WLAG Timeless Radio; and through my Twitch channel (DJ Lyris), where I go live on Wednesdays at 7:30pm EST and Saturday mornings at 10:30 am EST. I’m a professional dj currently spinning in the metro Atlanta areas; I also dj for corporate and private events. I also offer services, such as dj lessons and Twitch consultation/production. Lastly, I just launched my patron page for exclusive content and merchandise.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Oh absolutely! Several books have changed the course of my thinking and philosophy in regards to my professional and personal lifestyle. Just to name a few: Eckart Tolle’s “A New Earth”; Marianne Williamson’s “Return to Love”; Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich”; and Neal Donald Walsch’s ” Conversations with God.” These aforementioned books have shifted my perspective on energy, the laws of the universe (The Law of One), purposeful living and abundance. I also listen to Abraham Hicks and I’m currently enrolled in Katherine Zenkina’s Manifestation Babe Academy. All these resources have changed how I perceive and create my own reality. It continues to be a process of unlearning and learning new ways of being. I’m learning how to release the need or idea to control every aspect of my life; I create my reality in the present by my thoughts and beliefs. I rely on my intuition when making decisions regarding projects or business opportunities. I trust every thing works together for my highest good and I know that every no I encounter is directing me to my yes.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is freedom. Freedom is knowing that I create my circumstances and what I think and believe will always become my reality. So the freedom to create what I choose for myself is the greatest gift. Being free of what others think of me or the ideas and desires I have for myself is another gift, because I know that God did not give others the vision given to me, so of course they wouldn’t understand. Being free from the worry of money or where the next opportunity is coming; because I know that abundance is all there is and therefore the idea of scarcity is just an illusion I can choose to believe or not. Freedom to choose what you believe for yourself in spite of what the world around you will try to convince you is the biggest gift anyone can give to themselves not only as an artist/creative but as a human.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wlagtimelessradio.com; www.djlyris.com
• Instagram: @djlyris @wlag_timelessrado
• Facebook: @djlyris @wlagtimelessradio
• Linkedin: DJ Lyris The Hybrid Specialsit
• Youtube: @wlagtimelessradio @djlyris
• Other: Patron page patreon.com/user?u=80049012

Image Credits
Photographer: Joshua Spruiel @jsphotographyatl