For a while I had somebody that came to clean my house that turned out to be in a band that I really loved.

I wrote so much about fandom and participation for NPR that I eventually realized my most fertile way of participating in music is to actually play it, at least in a way that made the most sense to me.

It does feel great to be writing, but the process is sometimes excruciating.

Even if, personally, I'm in a place of contentment or solidity, I feel like it's hard not to look out into American culture and see vast inequity, widespread institutionalized violence and racism and transphobia and environmental destruction. It's hard to be in this world and feel a sense of innate satisfaction at all. There's plenty of things to feel unsettled about.

I'm always trying to encourage people not to limit themselves in the same way that many of our parents stayed with one job forever.

I think short-term goals are important. Trying to set a missive for yourself for the entire year can be daunting, and it can feel too easy to fail or fall short of that.

For a while I had somebody that came to clean my house that turned out to be in a band that I really loved.