We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eric Jefferson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Eric, appreciate you joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
I wish I would have started DJing as soon as I became aware of this incredible art form. I only have 5 years of experience as a DJ. I feel like I have much more to learn but I’m enjoying the process.
Eric, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My focus hasn’t always been music. I’m actually a visual artist. (Graphic Designer and Oil Painter) When I was younger, I used to draw comic book characters and cartoons, but the music was always there. Either playing in the background while drawing, or it may have been on the TV when reading comics and playing with my Transformers. There are two memories I remember shaping my love for music, 1. My mom always played Anita Baker and Kenny G. around the house and on our way to visit my grandmother in Detroit 2. My mother’s record player. I remember watching an episode of “Yo! MTV Raps” and saw a DJ in one of the videos. I was amazed by what he was doing. He was scratching a record with the music. So, I tried scratch records like that DJ but It didn’t go well. I ruined three of my mom’s records, and she was furious! However, I knew I had found something I loved besides visual arts.
Years later, I met my wife (Renee Dion), an incredible singer/songwriter, in Columbus, OH. She had just moved back to the city and was performing everywhere. If Sade, Jill Scott, and Erykah Badu were combined into one person, that’s the vibe. Our relationship sparked into something beautiful, I knew she was the one, and we became a creative duo. She made the music, and I did the art. We’d throw events that would highlight both art and music. We also did a web series called “Date Night” that’s on YouTube. We make magic together.
My wife would always visit Guitar Center to get new musical equipment. And this is where my DJ journey began. Every time we went into Guitar Center, I would tell my wife, “I’m about to go save the world,” before making a b-line to the DJ section running like a big kid in a playground. Even though I didn’t know what I was doing and messing around pressing buttons on the DJ controller, I was in bliss and had that same feeling of being a little kid playing with my mom’s record player and having fun.
In 2017, my wife bought me a DJ controller for Christmas. She saw how much I loved running over to that section of the Guitar Center and playing with the DJ equipment. We both began to realize DJ’ing was becoming more than a hobby, March 2018, I decided it was time to perform. I knew of a local grocery store in downtown Columbus called “The Hills Market.” The Hills would always have events and wine tastings. The people are always friendly, and when Renee and I would attend events, I would see DJs playing there from time to time.
Once I knew I was 100 percent ready, I walked into the store, asked to speak to the manager, and was directed to Amanda Anderson. Amanda is truly a blessing. She is the person who gave me my start as a DJ. She gave me a chance and helped me get to where I am today.
Ever since that day, I’ve been playing a little bit of everywhere. I’m still learning as a DJ, but I love every moment. I can honestly say I still get that same feeling as I did when I was a kid, just playing around on his mom’s record player and having fun.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
The best things people can do is go to the shows, share the flyers on you social media, tell a friend, bring someone to the show, etc. Anything that shows the artist that you are in their corner helps tons.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish when I first started my career as a DJ, I would have started connecting with other fellow DJ’s and venues early. You have to put yourself out there for people to know who you are and take you serious. Always remember that there are a lot of people who may do the same thing you do but the best way to stand out from the rest is to make sure people remember who you are.
Contact Info:
- Website: emarblez.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/emarblez
- Facebook: facebook.com/emarblez
- Youtube: youtube.com/@_emarblez
Image Credits
Image credits: Marshall Shorts Jr. and Renee Dion Jefferson