Take on the pain and wear it as a shirt.

For most of human history, musicians, artists, they've been part of the community — connectors and openers, not untouchable stars.

We can only connect the dots we collect, which makes everything you write about you... your connections are the thread that you weave into the cloth that becomes the story that only you can tell.

The challenge is to just focus on what's actually happening, focus on the people who get it, and focus on the people who are listening.

I suppose I'm happy to sell my time and energy, but I'm not happy to sell my initial creative time.

One thing about being a performer is you're not just doing an intellectual job behind a desk; you're out there performing and being looked at, being assessed for really superficial stuff.

I never wanted to grow a thicker skin; I felt a real sense of pride in my thin skin, and in a weird way, I still do, because it's my thin skin that allows me to empathize with other people. It's the thing that allows me to create vulnerable art. It's the thing that allows me to create other feelings and make songs that actually grab people and touch people. I feel like I've spent my life fighting that thicker skin because I don't want to become an embittered asshole.