Foster Carson of EAST POINT on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Foster Carson shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Foster, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What is a normal day like for you right now?
This is always a tricky question because I don’t know what I would consider to be a normal day. Every day is different for me. I dj, I produce and I play two different instruments, so between those things there’s always something different for me to do. Every day is its own adventure.

There are things I try to make sure I do no matter what though: I try to spend time with at least one of my instruments or creative outlets every day. I also try to move my body every day no matter the circumstances, even if that means running sprints outside or doing push-ups at home.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Absolutely! My name is Sir Foster. I made my name as a dj for big sporting events. I am also known for playing the keyboard and the saxophone during my dj sets.

I started my career as the organ player for the Atlanta Hawks. I made a name for myself by always playing the most current rap songs on the organ during Hawks games. People really took notice and enjoyed what I did. I was able to connect with people in a very unique way by working with the Hawks. I’m very proud of the work I did with them and I’m grateful for that opportunity.

Now I feel like I’m writing an entirely different chapter of my career by being the DJ for UGA. I do five sports with them: football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, gymnastics and sometimes volleyball. I’m having a great time there and I even get a chance to talk to the crowd and hype them up during games! The game day atmosphere in Athens is electric. I’ve also been a part of two National Championship seasons with our football team. I’m having an incredible time there, to say the least. I love what I do.

In the past I’ve been a part of six NBA All-Star weekends and I’ve worked with many other sports franchises as well. For the last two years I’ve provided music for some soccer matches with Charlotte FC. That’s been a great experience for me.

When I’m not doing sports games, I DJ private events and weddings. This is where I really get a chance to play my instruments during my dj sets. That’s always fun because people never expect me to come from behind the dj booth and start playing to them. I love seeing people’s faces light up when I go out into the crowd and surprise them.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that. This is a great question.

I’ve always had a very good sense of who I am, and who I wanted to be. I was absolutely born with “the audacity,” so to speak. I came out the gate telling people who I was. I’ve never allowed the world to tell me who I had to be. I told them who I was going to be.

People used to look at me crazy but that never swayed me. I’ve always known I was destined for big things. I used to have random daydreams about playing in big stadiums when I was in kindergarten. I would literally zone out in class for a few minutes and just see myself playing in front of a big crowd. So I’ve always known I wanted to be an entertainer, and I’ve always had a very clear vision of where I wanted to go.

Once I graduated I learned very quickly that adulthood is about figuring out which childhood lessons you need to throw away and which lessons you need to keep. So I approached life that way. I was always asking myself: ‘Is this a new way of thinking and doing things I need to adopt? Or should I keep doing what I’ve been doing when it comes to this?’ I’ve learned to accept where I am in the moment and enjoy the moment, but to always look for the lesson in it.

But yeah, I’ve always approached each step in life with the next step in mind. For example: most of the time, people who play the organ for sports teams use their given/government names but I never did. From day one I asked the Hawks to announce me as Sir Foster. I did that because I believed that playing the organ for them was going to lead to a lot more opportunities (which it did), so I wanted to establish myself as a brand while I was there. I wanted a name that not only reflected my energy and my playing style, but one that could also grow with me no matter where my entertainment career took me. This was a bold move and it was unconventional, but so is everything about me. (Laughs). It ended up being the perfect way to introduce myself to the world. And it’s a great example of me telling the world who I am instead of allowing the world to tell me who I needed to be.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
No.

Don’t get me wrong, there have been times I’ve been frustrated. There have absolutely been times where I questioned myself, and there were one or two times where things got really dark. Sometimes I had to ask: “Why is life taking me through this?”

When those times came, I learned a very important lesson: I need to allow myself to feel the frustration. I need to allow myself to feel every emotion that comes during those hard times, and I need to feel it fully. I don’t try to rationalize or justify the feelings. I simply acknowledge them and allow myself to sit with them. The reason for this is: what you resist persists! When tough times would come, if I said to myself “I shouldn’t be feeling this way!” or if I judged myself for feeling the emotion, I noticed the bad feelings would last much longer. I now realize that’s because that emotion wants to be FELT. So now, I acknowledge the emotion. I’ll say “I’m sad because this happened” or “I’m worried because of this circumstance and that’s okay,” and then I’ll just sit with that emotion. When I started doing this, within two to five minutes the bad feelings usually drift away on their own.

Once I’ve allowed myself to feel the bad feelings, and once they’ve passed, I simply regroup and make a plan for how I’m gonna attack my new circumstances. Then I go after it.

I am 100% committed to being the best version of myself possible. There is no way I can give up now.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
It’s very close! It’s probably about 90% of the real me.

I think we’re all at least a little different behind closed doors. But I’m very proud of the fact that I live a very authentic life. I don’t have to play a role or a character when I’m out in public because what you see is very close to the real me.

The difference is I’m probably a little more introverted than people would expect me to be. I’ve been told I can be quiet at times, which is different than my game day persona. But I’ve also been told I’m very outgoing too, which is exactly what you see when I’m in public.

So yeah. When it comes to me, what you see is very close to what you get.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If immortality were real, what would you build?
Immortality is real. Energy can never be created nor destroyed, it just changes forms.

Because of this, I do believe our souls keep revisiting Earth in different (human) forms and we learn different lessons each time. With that said, hopefully I’ll write a song, or a book, or leave videos of myself making music that will inspire people and bring joy to people for years, even after I’m gone. Hopefully I’ll use every gift that was given to me, and I won’t die with the music still in me because I will have given it to the world. I’ll die with no regrets.

And who knows? Maybe in my next lifetime, I’ll discover a piece of music that I wrote in my previous lifetime and feel like…I’ve found myself. (Wink)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sirfoster.net
• Instagram: @SirFosterWorld
• Twitter: @SirFosterWorld
• Youtube: SirFosterWorld
• Soundcloud: SirFosterWorld
• Other: Tik Tok too! @SirFosterWorld on everything.

Image Credits
UGA Photos: David Hanna.

Charlotte/Carolina Panthers photo: Justin Drum.

Keytar Photo: Matt Arico.