Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Smith.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
It was 2009, I was a senior in high school and my family had just bought an empty building that what would become one of three amazing teen clubs in the U.S. We opened the club right after graduation and started on what would be one of the best summers of my life! The club was a massive success as we brought in talent from all around the nation to perform. However, like most clubs, its popularity dwindled and we found ourselves with an empty space. As I headed off to Oklahoma State University my dad decided that he would turn the club into an event center. We started hosting weddings, corporate events, birthdays and many other types of events.
After seeing some of these events I began taking extra equipment back up to OSU with me to learn how to mix music, program lights and MC so that I could help out even more at these events. Eventually some poor souls heard that I “DJ’d” and hired me for their birthday at our event center. Soon after that first gig, a bride and groom, who I can only assume were very desperate lol, hired me to DJ their wedding. Word eventually got out that I was officially a DJ even though I had only completed two events.
It didn’t take long for my fraternity brother Scott Stutsman to dub me “DJ PLEDGE” since I was still going through the pledging process. The name DJ PLEDGE and my tagline “Hazing other DJ’s since 1991” immediately stuck and started to spread throughout the OSU campus. I started DJ’ing for sororities, fraternities and even had several friends ask me to DJ their wedding, I was hooked! After 4 years of DJ’ing in college I went full time and now DJ about 60 weddings per year.
Please tell us about your art.
I take a day that most people think of as stressful and make it a beautiful and relaxing time for them to enjoy with friends and family. I do this with weeks of planning but I’ll focus on the music (art portion).
Music is such a huge influence in our lives, it’s everywhere we go! It makes us happy, it helps us through tough times, it reminds us of special memories, it makes us dance, but most of all, it brings people together as one. I spend several hours with every client working strictly on music because I want their wedding to reflect them personally. From the ceremony to cocktail hour to dinner to the reception you can bet that it’ll reflect each one of my brides and groom’s personal styles. There’s just something about hearing songs that you always listen to that makes you feel like you’re at home no matter where you are, something that is very comforting on your wedding day.
At the end of the night when it’s all said and done I know that some of those songs I played will forever be stowed away in the hearts of the bride and groom and their guests. When the bride thinks of her first dance, that song will play. When her father thinks of dancing with his little girl, that song will play. When everyone looks at the picture of all their hands in the air with friends and family all around, that song will play. I create memories through music and I wouldn’t change that for anything!
Choosing a creative or artistic path comes with many financial challenges. Any advice for those struggling to focus on their artwork due to financial concerns?
Financials are always a tough topic when starting up or simply just hitting a rough patch. My advice would be to hustle and never stop. If you’re struggling in one area take a break and find something else that makes you happy and hustle there. Once your motivation comes back for that other thing continue where you left off.
However, know your value. We all started out at a smaller price but don’t shy away from bumping it up and getting your worth!
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
You can view my work at…
- www.AustinSmithEvents.com
- www.Instagram.com/AustinSmithEvents
- www.Facebook.com/AustinSmithEvents
- www.YouTube.com/channel/UCwIjwFjbxP35OgXPcxMlf-A?
- www.Vimeo.com/AustinSmithEvents
You can support me by liking, following or subscribing to my pages.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.AustinSmithEvents.com
- Email: AustinSmithEvents@Gmail.com
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/AustinSmithEvents
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/AustinSmithEvents
- Other: www.YouTube.com/channel/UCwIjwFjbxP35OgXPcxMlf-A?
Image Credit:
Austin Smith Events / Kristin Edwards / Cindy Medick / Averi Blackmon / Purple Pebble Photography / Tara Lokey Photography / Rachel Waters.
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
