Sometimes in life, you are on a path that seems certain, one that you’ve built your identity around in many ways, and then that path is suddenly unavailable to you. Maybe you are now facing unemployment or the end of a relationship or the passing of a loved one. How do you move on and start rebuilding your life?
I’ve just had one of those life-altering months and needed to figure that out for myself. For me, in order to begin reclaiming my identity, I felt I needed to lean into the thing that makes me come alive more than anything else, and that’s playing an original song in front of a captive (and forgiving) audience. So hello Starry Plough open mic!
I’ve been playing open mics for over 16 years at this point, starting with my awkward debut performance of a song about living with my parents as an adult and trying to meet women. People actually applauded at the end of the song, despite numerous forgotten words and the deer-in-headlights look I displayed during the entirety of my performance. That’s the thing I’ve noticed about almost every open mic I’ve been to: as long as you have the courage to walk up on stage and give it your best, people will support you and build you up.
And that’s exactly what I needed on Tuesday night, so thanks fellow Starry Plough open mic performers. There was no other place I’d have rather been.
