Support David Through A Financial Crisis

It's always hard asking for help. Especially when it's for something like money. I'm very much someone who likes to earn and work my way towards things in life, as has been demonstrated by the hard work I've put in building my music career over almost the past decade and getting to where I am today entirely from scratch. But I also realize that I have to acknowledge when I am struggling beyond my means and recognize that I can't always do everything on my own. That is what I am doing here today.

I am in a rather dire situation where I am greatly overworking myself and receiving nothing close to what I need to survive in return, constantly living day to day hardly being able to keep up with my basic expenses, some days eating very little because I have to pay a bill or this expensive weekly car rental from Hertz so I can continue driving for Uber as a source of income, which I go into more detail on below. One of my bank accounts are often in the negative and there have been too many close calls to services getting shut off or a bank account being closed. Recently this month I was 15 days late on rent and could have lost my home. I've already exhausted many other resources and avenues before even considering using this platform. This is greatly affecting not only my mental health, but also how much time and the frequency I can give to creating as a music artist (which will make this a more viable source of income), and my ability to continue to give back to and nurture Detroit's music scene by hosting events. Playing gigs and traveling as a DJ is truly one of my greatest joys, and I want to continue to build my career so that I can eventually fully sustain myself as a DJ and producer.

The Backstory On What Lead Me To Where I Am Right Now And Why I Am Asking For Help:

About 11 months ago I got laid off from a part time job as an internal videographer/editor for a hospital due to a merger that took place. This job was at large the backbone of my income and I had sustained it for nearly a decade. It was the perfect position for me because it allowed me to have consistent stable income while I had the flexibility to fully pursue my music career as a DJ, producer, and event promoter, and build my name over the last 9 years. During the pandemic this job became almost entirely remote and it stayed that way, so I could travel whenever I needed to for gigs, even being in Europe for over a month at a time with no issue. I've been able to achieve all that I have as an artist because of my hard work and because I had this job as a consistent source of income.

After I got laid off I was able to scrape by for a few months with severance pay, unused PTO hours, and unemployment. I used some of these funds to buy my own laptop as I was previously only using my work Macbook that I had to give back. I also started looking for work in similar positions but quickly saw how oversaturated and competitive this market had become. Around late June I was in a position where I really started needing more income rather immediately and had no savings, so I decided to start driving for Uber. I did not have a car so I signed up for Hertz partnership program with Uber where I could rent a car with them and pay to extend it every week. This is where I am now and what I have been doing over the course of the last 8 months.

Getting a car through these means was great, but the issue with this system is that every single week I have to pay a significant amount of what I make to Hertz while I'm driving many hours on Uber and actually keeping very little in return. I am paying them about $2k a month and that doesn't even include insurance! The cost of all cars through this program add up to be about the same, whether a gas vehicle or EV. If I give the car up now then I lose the source where almost all of my income is currently coming from and am again without a vehicle, and continuing to drive through this system keeps me in a position where I am making well below my means to survive and stay on top of other expenses due to the cost of the rental.

My Plan:

Because of this, I've had a plan for some time now to buy my own car by getting an auto loan as paying that would be significantly cheaper than this rental, and payments would only be monthly. However I have unfortunately not been able to achieve this as my credit score is not in a good place due to credit utilization and all of my credit cards being maxed out, and I have not been able to get them back down because I'm not even making enough to stay on top of my other expenses. Because I am still just barely able to make the minimum payments on these cards, my payment history is nearly excellent, so by getting my card balances down my credit score would shoot right up in a matter of one to two months which would allow me to get an auto loan.

By donating here you would be helping me to address my immediate expenses to keep my home and utilities active, pay off my debt that I have, and cover the expense of the car rental for the next two months before getting an auto loan, that way all of the money I make moving forward as a rideshare driver will go directly to me and not the rental. This is what I have the goal set to cover.

I would be using money from GoFundMe for these purposes. If I happen to receive more than my allotted goal I would put that towards savings and covering any losses after my events. This money would not be going directly towards funding my Anatomy events as I already have financing from someone that will cover up front costs like artist deposits and miscellaneous fees before an event, allowing me a greater chance to make a profit from hosting these parties, although that won't matter soon if I am unable to keep up on my personal expenses.

Although I am still actively looking, this would also free up much more time for me to continue searching for another part time job in addition to working as a rideshare driver that is flexible and would compliment everything I am currently doing, preferably a work from home position so I can travel when needed for gigs. Driving for Uber has been a great job for me since I can set my own hours, and even continuing to do that for the time being as one of my sole sources of income working similar hours with a car note instead of this weekly car rental I would be in a MUCH better position than I am now.

I Am So Grateful For Your Generosity:

Ultimately I want to continue being able to do what I love most which is creating as an artist, and giving back to Detroit's music scene by hosting events. I am hoping that my friends, family, fanbase, and the kindness of strangers are willing to lend a helping hand through these tough times so I can continue bringing joy to others lives through my performances, music, and parties, and to live the life that I came here to live.

I know that many others are struggling during these times as well so I don't expect you to donate if you don't have the means to. I greatly appreciate the time you took reading all of this and any amount helps. If you aren't able to donate just sharing this page would also help a lot too. Thanks so much.

~ David Henry Brooks IV