For me, it's all about the song. That mysteriously magical thing that happens when a lyric is married to a melody. The writing process is invigorating and exciting while simultaneously being exasperating and difficult. It is that moment when music is being composed and a lyric is being written when I am truly the "artist at his easel."

The creative process continues when the song is brought into the studio to be recorded because, as in writing, the production and arrangement processes also have their own sets of challenges. Those challenges are always dictated by the song itself and the task at hand at that moment is to be true to the song and carefully craft a recording that reflects what the song is about.

Part three, for me, is to then take that song and perform it. It is the purest form of displaying this work of art called a song and is the only place where the magic of the creation is reflected back to me from a room full of interested listeners. And at that moment it is only as magical as the audience makes me believe it is.

I studied music as a child and learned some valuable "music theory". It has been my "second language" for as long as I can remember and continues to serve me well.