Play at a local open mic night

The biggest thing that got me back into playing consistently was to host an open acoustic mic night in my town of Sylvan Lake, Alberta. I have a friend who operated a restaurant and who was open to having live music and I though it would be a great idea for her to have an open mic night. She turned around and told me that I would be the person to host the event. I was a little shocked, but I agreed. (Thank you for believing in me).

I have been hosting an open acoustic jam at Bukz in Sylvan Lake for almost three years and it’s been awesome. I wanted to list three key reasons why I believe you need to put yourself out there and do it:

1.       Get out of the comfort zone

A comfort zone is where an artist goes to die. We need a challenge, and we need to be uncomfortable to create. That was how it was for me. Once I began putting myself out there, I became more confident and inspired.

2.       Meeting local musicians and establishing a community

We need a community around us to keep us motivated and challenged. Find your people, not every open jam is the same. There are some talented people who can be the wind beneath your wings. But you must actively seek them out. Don’t get stuck playing in one location only, get out there and network!

3.       Learn new songs and level up

I started an open mic, but it was not until several months later that other musician started showing up. I still have some nights where I play for hours if no one shows up. I had to learn new songs to build up my set lists. It provided me with the materials for learning and thus I was inspired to write more original music from the ideas that I discovered. This was a huge win.

I could list a few more wins but some of the other big lessons were to become a better performer and learning to interact with an audience. Finally, please just believe in yourself because you are good enough and talented enough to do anything.

Never ever give up!