Today we are celebrating School of Scratch Student D Supreme from the USA, who has recently completed the 100 Days of Scratching challenge! ??❤️
Here is D’s 100th day post:
Huge congrats D!
I asked D some questions to help those of you who are considering doing the 100 Days of Scratching Project.
Interview
Can you give us some background on your interest in music, DJing and scratching?
Music has always been a part of my life from learning instruments in school, to playing for my church, to learning to produce music. For me, DJing became a physical connection to music, especially when I’m playing on turntables. Scratching is me showing off my seasoning lol.
What made you decide to undertake the 100 day challenge?
To be honest, it was an escape from the initial impact of the pandemic. I love scratching, it puts me in a happy place and this challenge gave me something to direct my energy towards. If I’m going to be in quarantine, I’m going to get better at scratching.
What was your approach?
I tried to structure my approach like a workout but there were times where I also just wanted to go with the flow too. Mondays & Fridays I would freestyle, find a scratch I was weak with and drilling it throughout the week. Towards the end of the week I would do my best to pair the focused scratch up with combos that sounded cool.
What is your recording and posting workflow like?
I typically left my camera in the same spot so set up was easy, I tried to keep my videos around 20 seconds and I had a template in my video software to help with that. As for posting, google drive made it super easy for me to create a folder, drag the video from my laptop in & download it to my phone.
What are your top tools / apps / software / equipment to capture and edit?
I have experience in videography so I have a Lumix FZ1000 fixed lens camera with a tripod, for editing software I have davinci resolve (trial version is great & free) and I was able to just connect my audio directly into the camera.
What did you learn?
I learned that confidence comes from repetition. By doing this everyday I felt the confidence grow especially when I was drilling new techniques.
What were some of the highlights of the 100 day project for you?
This challenge provided some opportunities to work with some local artists, I think that’s my favorite part. People would reference these challenge videos and in a way this challenge served as my scratching portfolio.
What helped you on your way?
Watching and talking with other DJs was a huge help especially when I felt like I was hitting a wall on what to practice. I would hear a cool combo someone else did and just break it down and recreate for my own arsenal or even just pick up tricks from someone just by casually chatting with them online.
What didn’t work?
Worrying heavily about the perfect take. In the beginning it was nerve wracking to even turn on the camera but then the pressure to have everything perfect was a sure way to kill the energy everytime. Eventually I stopped noticing the camera and focused more on what my hands were doing in the moment and I started to catch a lot of good moments that way.
What was the most challenging part and how did you deal with that?
The most challenging part was staying motivated, especially when there was so much going on in the world. My boyfriend was the one to say that the me from day one would be disappointed and upset if I got all the way up to day 70 and just stopped. That was the single thought that kicked me back into gear.
What are your top tips for anyone who wants to undertake this challenge?
Have fun with it, talk & meet with other DJs doing the challenge because it’ll give you motivation to not slack, and finally give yourself time and space to learn something.
If you were to do this challenge again, what, if anything would you do differently?
I would stick to a schedule more and maybe try to create challenges within the challenge like a baby scratch only day to see how many variations I can do that particular scratch in.
You are a School of Scratch student. What has your school and learning experience been like?
Awesome, if I have a question about anything scratch related there are so many ways to find the answer from the instructional videos to the community on social media. I would recommend it to anyone no matter what level you’re at.
How do you approach ongoing learning and staying fresh?
Keeping track of my progress makes me excited to continue working and knowing what I like and what I flock towards so that I can explore outside of what I’m comfortable with.
Do you have any wisdom on learning that you can share with our students?
Dont forget why you started, that will get you through a lot.
What is next for you?
I want to apply this same level of thinking and energy to my music production.
Where can we find you online?
Interact with me on IG at @DtheSupreme.
Listen to some of my music on Spotify at D Supreme.
Watch me on YouTube at D Supreme.
Is there anything else you want to add?
This challenge is a great opportunity to get knee deep into the art of scratching dont forget to have fun!
That’s a wrap!
Thanks for sharing with us D! You made awesome progress over the course of the project and your videos are so well produced! I always looked forward to hearing your funky flavors!
Thank you for being part of our Supa Scratch Crew. Looking forward to seeing your continued progress and videos on Instagram and inside our School.
About 100 Days of Scratching
100 Days of Scratching is a project I started and completed (see here) and have been encouraging my students to do the same – as a way to get in the habit of daily practice, documenting progress and connecting with others.
D joins fellow School of Scratch Students aka the Supa Scratch Crew: Robert, Jenny, Eric, Roli Rho, Andrei, Jaden, Molino, Jamie, Jerry, Alina, Toby, Jay Rakim, Vanessa, Julian, Crystal, Smallimus, Allexia, Thomas, Ashley, Adam, Erick, Magnus, Roly G and Denise who have all completed the 100 Days of Scratching project. What an amazing crew of creators!
Wanna take part in the 100 Days of Scratching Project?
You can take part in the 100 Days of Scratching project and join our group of supportive DJs here:
Join the 100 Days of Scratching Challenge
If you want to learn how to scratch, School of Scratch can heal you do that – check it out here and sign up below to get 2 free lessons to get you started.
Happy Scratching! 😀
– Emma Short-E