Doc Watts Thoughts Episode 1: Why Daywalkerz?

Wow, what a great start to 2019!

It's all happening really fast (and still going), but I thought now that I have a blog space what a perfect way to step back and reflect on the progress and put further definition to just what it is we accomplished with Daywalkerz.

It started in 2017 as a biweekly lunch meetup between like minded colleagues. We'd both had fun rap projects in the past but were both largely dormant creatively. We also both hit an inflection point where it became impossible not to create. We had things to say again. I was starting to have musical ideas again. Meeting to meeting as the trust grew and we started vibing on certain beat ideas or certain song concepts, it became clear that we were about to put a project together. What resulted is the Daywalkerz.

So why Daywalkerz? So if you don't know about the reference (and my frame of reference is purely through the films), the titular character from the comic/movie Blade is colloquially known as "the daywalker" because he is half-human half-vampire and can, in fact, walk out in the daylight.

Despite that simple setup, I love the complexity of Blade. He hunts and kills vampires in part to avenge them killing his family. But he must drink blood to survive. He relies on human allies to develop various serums to keep him alive and quench his thirst, but he is undeniably most powerful when he embraces his vampire side and feeds directly from a human.

OK, so we're not vampires. What's my point?

Growing up multiracial can be difficult. It's easy to see that you're a little different than your mom and your dad, and it's easy to see that there aren't a lot of families that look like yours. But it's harder to know how you fit in to all of, well, this. At our core we're all animals. Primates, specifically. We're social animals, we tend to keep our circles tight, and shun or attack outsiders. Standing out can be deadly. The energy we put into conforming and being 'normal' is tremendous. And it's exhausting.

But, it's familiar territory for people that never fit in, that can't fit in, for one reason or another. We are truly daywalkers. At times it is deeply lonely, and hard to relate to some of the intense emotions people feel around their connection with groups. That said, there is a huge upside. When you embrace your diverse and unique upbringing and perspective, your standing out becomes a super power. Standing alone is terrifying, but it's the only way to be true to yourself if you are spinning your wheels trying to fit in with others. The plus side is that others standing alone will see YOU standing alone, and they will be both impressed and afraid. You can build your tribe on our own terms.

This may sound like common sense to some. We all come about insights differently, as we all walk different paths. Even the Daywalkerz crew approached the project differently. Where I was fighting with all these challenges around belonging and creativity, Jason had very specific thoughts he wanted to share relating to his mother. Meanwhile, Rose came into the project expressing more romantic ideas of belonging and rejection, and how she can develop confidence and self-esteem through heartbreak. Each story comes from similar foundation and captures the essence of fighting to be, fighting to walk in the day. We can all be daywalkerz. Watts p.s. It's spelled with a z cuz it's a rap project, and we thought it would be fun :)