I AM STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT!!

The lessons continue!!  

• This was my third time officially busking.  I was once again on Stephen Ave in downtown Calgary during the height of The Calgary Stampede.  I was curious to see,  with more out of town tourists, if people would be more inclined to stop and listen.

Lesson learned:  The answer became obvious when I arrived at my designated spot in front of the ATB building.  As I was setting up I watched two very talented musicians performing to an endless stream of people.  Out of all those people only a few would actually stop for a moment to appreciate the music.  The rest just streamed on past.

• I had decided to set up closer to the building instead of right at the edge of the pedestrian walkway.  My thought being perhaps people would stop if they didn't cause a traffic jam on the walkway.   

Lesson learned:   It turned out this didn't make a difference.   People still just smiled at me as they passed on the walkway or the sidewalk.  Only a few people stopped and once again it was families with children and seniors. 

• I had decided to set up on the shady side of the street as I had done last week.  Unfortunately,  when I arrived the shady side was filled with hay bales and sidewalk cafes.  So I set up in the sun and wondered if I would make it for two hours without shade. 

Lesson learned:  I am stronger than I thought.  I played for one hour and took a 15 minute break and then finished my two hours with energy to spare!

• Thank you to my dear friend Val who came downtown and surprised me while I was busking.  I appreciate her feed back about my performance.

Lesson learned:   Val shared with me that as she walked along Stephen Ave she could hear my voice singing my country tunes and it added to the atmosphere of the place.  She remembered being in Ireland and on other holidays  where the live music stayed with her even though she was just walking past the musicians.   This made me feel like I added something to the day even if people didn't stop and linger.

• I want to give a shout out to the buskers who were performing before me.  They came and tried to help me get my guitar chord working through my lovely little Bose amp.  It turned out the cord was not working!!  

Lesson learned:  Listen to your son when he suggests that you always have more than one cord with you.  This is something that he had suggested to me and being the smart ass mother that I am I did not listen. (Or I didn't remember).  At my age it could be either.   Anyway, I ended up performing for two hours with only my vocal amplified!

Lesson learned:  Put sunscreen on your feet if you wear sandals on a hot day!! 

• I have committed to a summer of experimenting with busking.  I am back two more times on Stephen Ave and then I will be auditioning to busk at the Calgary Farmers Market on Blackfoot Trail.  I am not making tons of money but it is an interesting adventure.  

Lesson learned:    If I look beyond the monetary advantage of busking and seek out the lessons learned I will see this adventure in busking as a success!

I AM STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT!!