​Open Mic Night: Finding Your Voice

30 day blog challenge - day 22

I love open mic nights.

When I was first getting started as a musician, open mic nights gave me a place to get some experience performing, which was great. They also gave me a place to meet other artists. And I found that every time I went to an open mic night, I left feeling inspired, often with ideas for poems and songs. 

I started hosting open mic night at my favorite coffee shop, Cool Beans, in early 2012, and they were SO much fun. We had some really cool moments there. And when I heard stories from artists who had NEVER performed before, I really felt like I was giving people the opportunity to explore their art and gain performance experience, and that made me feel good. Like I was passing the open mic night torch.

I have started hosting open mic night again at Unity North, my church. So far, I've only hosted one, and it was a great experience with a wide variety of acts. (It also gave me a chance to play some of my songs--something I hadn't done in nearly a year.) As I am gearing up for the February open mic night there, I was just thinking about how appropriate it is to have open mic night at Unity.

So many of the talks on Sunday mornings at Unity are about finding your voice and expressing whatever it is about you that needs to be expressed. Open mic night is the perfect manifestation of this idea of self-expression. I am so grateful to have a loving, open, and accepting community where everyone is encouraged to speak their truths, and my open mic night feels like a nice way to give back--even if just a little. :-)

February's open mic night will be on Friday, February 28th at 7:30 (come at 7:00 pm to sign up). Unity North is located at 4255 Sandy Plains Rd, Marietta, GA 30066. The event will be free with a suggested $5 donation that goes to Unity North. And this month, we will also be raising money for the new Family Promise ministry. Family Promise is an organization of volunteers that help homeless and low-income families achieve lasting independence.

I hope those of you in the Atlanta area will join us for open mic this month. :-)

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