Meet Rick Clark

We were lucky to catch up with Rick Clark recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rick, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

Funny story how I came across my purpose. I was working in higher education, married, and looking to earn extra money. The good ol’ side hustle. I came across a Craigslist ad that asked a few basic questions; do you love music, are you good with people, have you ever thought about being a DJ? The first two questions…without a pause were an absolute yes. The last one, nope. Didn’t ever cross my mind. I always saw DJing as a club and party lifestyle thing. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good party but I never saw myself being a contributor in that space. The ‘wedding DJ’ idea at first didn’t seem appealing. I had no idea what that meant and what characteristics were needed innately to be good at it. That changed quickly. I interviewed with the owner of a DJ company and he hired me on the spot after feeling out who I was and what my interest were. For roughly nine months I trained with him and he assigned me to my first gig in the fall. I was nervous, but the good nervous. It was someone’s wedding day and I wanted to get it right. The night was stellar and I can still remember vividly the conversations I had with the grandfather of the bride. During that wedding season I met a ton of people. Event planners, photographers, venue owners and a ton of couples and their guests. Vendors in the wedding industry came up to me and told me ‘you did a really good job’. I took it worth a grain of salt, figuring they were just being nice. It wasn’t until a year later that I heard all the stories about nights gone wrong with DJs leading events that I felt like I might have a knack for this. With some encouragement from my friend April (who’s an event planner) and a photographer named Andy, I launched my company. It’s been a phenomenal journey ever since.

The name Touch the Sky DJs comes from a Curtis Mayfield song called Move on Up. The horn sample from that song was used by Kanye West in his song Touch the Sky. Both songs are about pressing forward, having a positive mindset, and being successful. When I thought about how do I make people feel at events and what their physical reactions are to the music the image of hands in the air came to mind. They were touching the sky, so I branded it. It puts a smile on my face to even think about it as I’m writing now.

Now I have a team of DJs. We’ve contributed to the positive image of DJs that care about people’s experiences on some of the most memorable occasions of their lives. It’s an honor to have the public’s trust. With that, I work at always being a better DJ. I want my team and the people we come in contact with to know we have the best intentions and leave nothing to chance when it comes to hosting an excellent event.

I’m still a student of the craft and forever see myself making contributions to this space. There’s always more learning and an endless number of events to apply new music and ways to facilitate the night. This is who I am and how I choose to add my good in the world.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

My focus is always on the feeling I can leave you with. Maya Angelou said “people forget what you said, people forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. I live by that…personally and professionally. That’s the mark I want to leave in the world; how I want to be remembered by my family, friends, and the people I work with. I find that when I give in this way I can’t go wrong. The bills are paid, I get more gigs, and I’ve always got work to do to improve. It keeps me humble and with goals in front of me.

The most exciting part of DJing is watching people really enjoying themselves and saying afterwards that they had no idea they would have so much fun. The older folks, the kids, and everyone in between. I’ve heard it from them and it warms my heart.

I encourage everyone to like and follow us on social media. Watch the videos and see the pictures…it’ll put a smile on your face. Then reach out to us so we can help with celebrating your next life event.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The most important thing is connecting with and caring for people. DJing is a solo sport. It’s easy to get lost in the music you love and only want to create mixes and blends that you enjoy. But to connect with people it takes a caring eye and ear to deliver what moves crowds.

Secondly, the education piece. There’s always more to learn. When no one’s around, you have to be willing to put in the work, practice, and keep finding ways to improve. No one talks about that. But it’s vital.

Lastly, I’d say share your heart. People feel authenticity. You’ll find who you connect with and who connects with you but you have to put yourself out there by sharing. People hire my team and I because they know we care about what we do and they have a genuine feel of how our service is applied to their needs.

If you’re early into DJing lose track of time and get lost in the work. I say ‘work’ but I truly mean ‘feeling’. Watch YouTube videos, follow your favorite artists on social media, and again put in some work all the time. Even if it’s just in little increments.

Just remember, there’s no one like you who can add good in the world like you can. So get after it.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

It’s better to go all in on your strengths. You’ll get more out of failing and you’ll make improvements. You’ll sleep better not being divided doing multiple things. There’s a saying for that. Jack of all trades, and master of none. Find something you’d like to master. The irony is you may never fully master it but you’ll be so glad you put in the time. And you’ll definitely set yourself apart from others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.touchtheskydjs.com
• Instagram: Touch the Sky DJs
• Facebook: Touch the Sky DJs

Image Credits

Luckybird Photography
Adore Wedding Photography