Suddenly I had a wellspring of new ideas.

I was finally able to play guitar again. For several months, my wrestle with anxiety was so severe that I was barely able to bring myself to practice. When summer came along, however, I had newfound inspiration.

For one thing, I was starting to feel a lot healthier. I had spent a great deal of time learning about anxiety and relaxation techniques. Secondly, I just had my heart broken. Even though I had fallen in love, I had to let go of her. And thirdly, I started jamming with a friend who provided newfound inspiration. Although it didn't last long, it was just enough to get me writing again. Because of anxiety, I had lost sight of my passion. It was gradually starting to come back again.

Over the course of the next few months, I wrote a lot of new material. The music began to flow again. I had felt like I was in a rut since writing material for my first album, Shipwrecked... My Sentiments in 2005. For the first time in 3 years, I had found my stride again.

Sometimes humans aren't eloquent creatures. We don't really know how to grieve. I had probably spent the last 3 years grieving over the same loss, trying to find healing on my own. I had written songs about the same frustrations. I have heard it said that we tend to recreate our past circumstances, and unless we change, that remains true.

I felt that I had a very strong collection of songs. For once, they were directly from the heart. There was nothing interfering with my ability to communicate what I was feeling.