Daily Inspiration: Meet Acacia Thomas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Acacia Thomas.

Hi Acacia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
While living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (my hometown) I came across my first DJ mix on SoundCloud in high school where I was a dance major in 2012. It was really inspiring and had me thinking about how I would mix music I love. As a dance major at an arts high school, we always had to trim and combine our music for our performances.

After I graduated in 2015 I moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 2016 and was no longer dancing but still loved listening to mixes and creating plenty of playlists with my best friend Ben from high school who moved with me to AZ. We met our best friend Jamie and all talked about how we wanted to start djing. All of us decided to buy our own basic DJ controllers and dive right into it. I would practice blending my favorite tracks every day and 6 months later Jamie passed along my first gig to me. After my first performance went so well it opened the door for me to do more! I continued to take every opportunity to perform and upgraded my equipment. With consistency, I was able to obtain a residency at Valley Bar where I have been holding it down every weekend for a whole year now. I still play where ever I can throughout the valley to keep myself busy and sharp.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been smooth as butter! I remember when I first upgraded my equipment and had a performance the same day so I didn’t get to practice with it yet. My first transition cleared the floor because I had no music playing from not know how to use it yet. I pushed through with the 5 people I had left on the floor and when I got home I cried myself to sleep.

Throughout my journey, I’ve struggled with imposter syndrome and just not feeling like I can cater to everyone. I am still learning how to read the room but I feel and perform better when I focus more on what I want to hear because you really can’t please every single person. As long as I am happy with what and how I mixed, I feel whole.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I DJ live and produce occasionally. I am most known for my live DJ sets and I have over 20 DJ mixes on my SoundCloud that people enjoy. I am most proud of my consistency with my performances and how I never fail to get people dancing! My selection and the way I blend my tracks are what set me apart from others. I try to do something different with every set I have so I don’t get bored of myself and my music.

What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I learned that being me at the moment is the best way to perform and be the artist that I am.

Don’t focus on being more like someone else that everyone loves because they can just go to that person for that.

There is no one out there that can do it like me and the more I keep that on my mind the easier it is to take creative risks and explore my potential. Also, don’t take requests personally.

Pricing:

• $100/hour speaker included

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djpootiecat/
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/djpootiecat

Image Credits
SJAYY, Mamesarr Seck, David Scott, Enrique Garcia, and Nadia Henderson