We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ryan Fresh. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ryan below.

Alright, Ryan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

By and large, I’m pretty happy as a creative person. I do have a 9-to-5 job (there’s some crossover but not much) that allows me to not have to be reliant on having to hustle to pay rent, bills, etc. The separation of the two is very much the crux of my happiness.

That said, I do think that we have to be real with happiness in art, especially with Instagram. It’s pretty easy to get down on yourself, specifically speaking as a DJ, when I have slow weeks or months and I see other people with full calendars. I don’t ever consider it personal, but it can feel that way, so it’s a pretty delicate balancing act with being happy with the art you create, while also being conscientious of your mental health.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got into DJing in the late 90s, while I was still a pretty young teen. I started during the boom of the “turntablism” phase, so I was primarily a DJ who scratched/created scratch-based music, which then turned into me DJing clubs for a few years once I’d become a proven and dependable person. During this time, I also entered DJ competitions. I stopped DJing for nearly a decade before picking it up again about six years ago, pretty much starting over.

In the interim, I had started working in marketing, so I gave myself a new DJ name and went for a brand approach, hence starting a YouTube channel that had tips, gear reviews, and short form documentaries. I had a pretty strong following that was expanding and then COVID hit. When venues started opening again, I found myself starting from scratch (no pun intended), so I had to start getting my name back out there, I put more of an emphasis on creating videos that had meaning to me.

For the last year or so, I’ve gotten away from the RYAN FRESH brand because I think that’s an inherent problem today. There are artists and “content creators/brands” and there is space for both, but for me, there’s too much of a gray area that affects my mental health for it to coexist. Because I work in marketing, especially in the social media space, looking at myself as a person and an artist is more important than having to becoming a beacon to sell things. When I get hired to DJ somewhere, the assurance is that I’m going to create a vibe that will make their night fun and memorable and not just because they got Ryan there; they got the experience.

With that in mind, I’ve also have been putting a focus on doing private events, something that I seldom did, but during COVID, a lot of people who had time on their hands were learning to DJ and rather than throw myself into an oversaturated market where there are new people who don’t know how to read the room, I’m betting on myself.

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

I think there’s this generalization that DJing is easy, that we’re just glorified human Spotify playlists, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Even having a vast musical knowledge isn’t enough. Aside from having to learn how to use DJ equipment, you also have to learn how to read a room and a crowd. You just can’t play whatever whenever you want because it could kill the dance floor. You also have to learn to mix. Slamming songs into one another with reckless abandon is a jarring experience.

DJing in 2023 is complicated because you have to wear many, many hats. You become your own manager/promoter (unless you want to pay someone to do that or sign to an agency); you have to be a graphic designer; you have to be a social media manager; and you have to be customer service when you’re in public. These are skills and talents that I’ve seen new DJs take for granted because most times being cool and having a hipster reputation isn’t enough for longevity.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

They’re not resources in the way that most people would think, but I wish that I tried harder to be more open to meeting new folks in the beginning. I don’t think I rubbed people the wrong way, but aside from three or four key people who were essentially family, I didn’t really mingle with DJs in the way that I should have, so I got stuck, particularly in those early years.

When I started up again, I had to go back out there and really put myself in front of new people, which was frightening as someone who is an introvert, as well as someone in their thirties. Starting a new social group as an adult? That’s scary.

Contact Info:

• Website: ryanfresh.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanfreshhh/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RyanFreshhh/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanfreshhh
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ryanfreshhh

Image Credits
DJ Statex DJ Alchemix