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Voices that Inspire

Hear stories from some of our most inspirational voices — you!

Pictured: Ruth Nickens

Listen: Week of February 2, 2023

Transcript
What inspires you from WFSU Public Media? Here's this week's Voices That Inspire. I am Ruth Nickins. I'm the creator and the host of Purple House concerts in Tellhassy, Florida. Music has always been a part of my life in one form or another, and at one point, I realized I was never gonna be a great player, but I could be a supporter of the arts. I also realized I had terrific acoustics in my living room. So I started hosting a few concerts about a decade ago, and mostly those were local artists, and I was doing them as fundraisers for some of the different organizations that I believed in and wanted to support. And then more recently, with the support of my partner, who also happens to be a singer-songwriter, we were able to really take this up a level and create what is now considered to be one of the best house concert venues in the southeast. Being an artist is not an easy way to make a living, but we really need artists. The world would be far less colorful without them. And what the house concerts have done is they provide them an opportunity to be in front of a really engaged audience, and all of the money in the form of donations that is collected goes into the pocket of the artists. And some really amazing relationships come out of the intimacy of these events. I like to sit on the stairs and kind of look out when the shows are taking place, and there's this room full of amazing music, and people who are really enjoying the music, and there's just this kind of magic that really happens in that room. It's definitely a labor of love. I am Ruth Nickens, and I'm the creator and host of Purple House Concerts in Tallahassee, Florida. And what I would like to leave you with today is some inspiration to either create your own house concert and also a reminder to support arts in whatever way you can. You're listening to voices that inspire.
Ruth Nickens - Support arts in whatever way you can.

Ruth Nickens is the creator and host of Purple House Concerts. Music has always had a prominent role in her life. She feels that being an artist is not always the easiest profession. She finds inspiration in her support of the artists by putting them on display for the world to see.


Tell your inspirational story. Contact Kim Kelling at 850-645-6056 or kkelling@fsu.edu.