EDITORIAL: Chicago Creative Entrepreneurs Speak Out on Life During The Pandemic
The current COVID-19 pandemic we are in has affected many businesses, exciting travel plans, and spending time with those who matter most.
Chicago creative entrepreneurs have shared these experienced experiences, too. Some have been affected by this pandemic in a positive way and some have been hit very negatively. As a creative entrepreneur, you are your own business essentially and if business doesn't come in you are put in a tough spot.
Wanting to learn more about how creative entrepreneurs are doing in this time, I took the opportunity to interview two creatives within the Chicagoland area.
The first creative entrepreneur I spoke to was DJ O’Trey, a South Side Chicago native who specializes in spinning primarily Christian based music. Some of the Christian genres he incorporates into his music are upbeat hip hop, afrobeat, gospel, and R&B music.
Throughout the discussion, DJ O’Trey shared how he has not really been affected negatively by the pandemic. He states that, “with everyone at home I have seen an increase in overall engagement.” Being a versatile DJ of DJ O’Trey’s versatility is definitely the way to go in the pandemic, he has the capability to host three live mix shows for online radio on Thursdays weekly. Then on top of that he can also pop into a Zoom party or a physical location with a limited capacity for ensuring health safety.
Even though the majority of DJ O'Treys' time in the pandemic has been great, he did mention, however, that he has had minor setbacks. “I missed out on a pretty big gig in the height of the pandemic and also Zoom parties can sometimes be challenging. In the Zoom parties it can be difficult at times to know if the crowd is really into what I'm playing. I base my judgement on facial expressions and dancing,” he said.
Thankfully, DJ O’Trey has not let those minor setbacks halt his progression and overall goal of being one of the greatest Christian DJs in the
Midwest. If you're interested in hearing this amazing DJ at work you should tune into one of his three mix shows he does on Thursdays. Kingdom Mixshow airs at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. CST on the ArtSoul Radio platform. Then his last show for the day the Chicago Mixshow airs at 7 p.m. CST on the Coalition Kingdom Podcast platform. You can also follow DJ O’Trey on social media and any music distribution platform of your choice. ( https://linktr.ee/Djotrey )
Creative entrepreneurs like Maywood native Mykah Estelle are making an impact, too.
Estelle is a flourishing creative entrepreneur who is mostly known for her sweet soulful music and lyrical mind blowing poetry. However, in this time of the pandemic, she has begun spreading her wings a little more by focusing on her photography, establishing her social media, acting, and writing for a potential film series coming soon.
Many of the places Estelle would have performed were just simply not open. When asked about the effects of the pandemic towards her creative career she said, “it definitely caused a great detriment to me because everything was shut down.”
“At the end of the day it's not stopping anything it's just an obstacle,” she said. “I still plan on focusing on my online presence so I can build up more momentum for the release of my next project.”
Photo taken by : Nickie Thompson
Estelle’s latest project is an EP entitled “Zion” which is scheduled to be released on July 30. In this EP you can be prepared to hear the mindset and heartbeat of Mykah Estelle from the previous years. The project has taken her three years to complete because she went through alot and she wanted to really make her experiences mean something to kids and their guardians. “It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor there is still something that is missing, and we tend to have a tendency to forget about our youth,” she said.
“My long term goal is to use the platforms I am building now to develop a media and mentor based business where I am the CEO and I can do everything in my power to help the youth,” said Estelle.
To follow Mykah Estelle you can follow her here on instagram @mykahestelle.