Q&A With Derek J. Power, Founder of The djproject Group

What is The djproject Group?

The djproject Group represents my personal creative endeavours, whether it is in film or music or any other venture.

What gave you the idea for your business and how did it start?

I knew I always wanted to create things since I was a child.  I became aware as a teenager that the better way to retain a certain creative control was to operate as a business rather than as my own name.  It was in high school I had the name “djproject”, which was both a play on my initials and the fact that everything I do is a “project’.  I started using it to represent my own creative pursuits in college, first with an online publication of my own poetry and then later my own music after college.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

I am my own boss.

What are your keys to making yourself productive?

In my line of work, there are plenty of reasons *not* to be productive: self-doubt, self-loathing, self-hatred.  Channeling those emotions into your work helps.  Also, one must surround himself with people who are there for you and what you want to do.  This encouragement goes a long way, especially through those storm-cloud moments.

Tell us one long-term goal in your career.

To make djproject not just a business representing my own creative interests but creative interests in general.

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned through the course of your career?

Perservance.  It is incredibly easy to lose it and it is the only way one can actually achieve anything.  Another equally important aspect is character as it is the least experience asset to develop and the only one that can never depreciate with time as long as you maintain it.

What advice would you give to others aspiring to succeed in your field?

I think Falcor said it best, “Never give up.  And good luck will find you.”

What are your favorite things to do outside of work?

Simply talking with other people and doing things outside of my usual routine.

Name a few influential books you’ve read and/or websites you keep up with that you’d recommend to readers.

I would say the book that influenced me the most in my field was David Lynch’s Catching the Big Fish.  It affirmed something that I suspected when making a creative endeavour, which is the best work happens when one goes deep beneath its apparent surface.  As far as websites, I would say Zen Pencils is one that provides that much needed encouragement needed in order to realise whatever you have in mind.