Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Miko Aguilar. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Miko, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

As a dance music producer and a DJ, it’s common to have ‘playing big clubs’ high up in your bucket list, While I’m thankful that I’m slowly getting these opportunities, I’m also realizing that I’m not as excited to play clubs downtown as the rest. What excites me is bringing house music to members of the community who don’t frequent night clubs. I am part of that segment who loves the music and culture behind it but don’t feel comfortable being in high brow venues. One pro is I don’t have to compete with all the other DJs. On the other hand, it’s harder to book gigs. But every gig I play feels warm and grounded. One memorable moment for me is when one bar patron started swaying in her chair and raised her arms, absorbing the music intimately. Another one is when somebody approach me after my set and told me he wasn’t planning on dancing that night but my set drew him to the dance floor. Making people move without them planning to is a different high. I see myself as a missionary for dance music, to aid the underserved to experience a natural release to improve their well-being.

Miko, 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?

Okay, here’s my creative journey. It has a lot of branches so bear with me. My creative journey started with grunge music. Aside from learning to play instruments, it also made me appreciate the art of songwriting and self-expression in general. From the music magazines, I fell in-love with graphic design and documentary photography. Later, music videos led me to learn video production and post-production. I later switched to spoken word, I started producing music for my performances and this led me to learn music production and sound design. As a result of all these ventures, I spent my last years in the Philippines freelancing as an assistant director and post-production supervisor. Now, living in a third world country meant that art is commonly associated with activism. This alignment has embedded purpose into my work which I still carry into my new venture as an electronic musician. I know it may be unusual to bring altruism in a community viewed by society as excessive and selfish. This is why I want to introduce this culture in a way that can be easily consumed by new ears.I believe self-expression teaches us to process experiences better which in turn helps us create healthy relationships.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

One thing I always get a reaction from is how I dismiss labeling myself as a creative person. It’s been always hard for people around me to understand this. I also struggled to understand this. I used to attribute this dismissal as a deflection to hide my struggle to embrace my self-worth. I had enough reasons to prove why I wasn’t good to discourage 5 generations. As i learned about myself more, I slowly understood the creativity is my default setting. I didn’t see myself a a creative person because while people around me saw that, all I see is me being myself, doing the bare minimum of being me. This realization lifted the burden of proving to myself that I am good, that I am a creative. I still encounter self-doubt but it is a lot easier for me now to discern if it’s coming from a place of self-pity or if it is actually a sign that I should step-back and re-align.

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

Tom Rath’s “Strengths Finder 2.0” helped me understand myself on the most basic sense. It validated characteristic assumptions I had about myself and shared how my strengths play into my personal and professional relationships. It is now easier to accept things I am not good at and helps me focus on improving my strengths. I highly recommend it,

Contact Info:

• Website: https://solo.to/qolaj
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qolaj/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@qolajmusic
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/qolaj
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2OPKwijeJpTOUtAQMq7ozn?si=GJqk2x9ER4KmufUzBHvaiQ or search “Qolaj”

Image Credits

Ash Lab, Khoi Ly, Kyle Francis