The idea that things intrinsically were just better is so stupid to me because they never were. It's all relative.

I think articulating things through song is a good way of letting people know that they're not alone.

I'll force myself to sit down and read a couple of chapters of a great book or I'll force myself to sit and listen to some amazing music or I'll go see a play. I find that watching or experiencing other forms of art gets my brain in action. It makes me feel connected to the creative energies and then that tends to get things going.

When you put a halo on concepts - gender roles, religion, nationality or pride - or you put a halo on any topic - anything that you hold dear like the relationship between a father and son or a mother and daughter, what it means to be married or what it means to be single or what it means to be a free spirit or what it means to be an artist - if you just put a halo on something and say it's untouchable - "that is special and that is perfect" - you immediately close your eyes to the truth of it, because the truth is that nothing is perfect.

Sometimes I just don't have time to wait for the muse to come, so I've developed things to force the muse to come back.

There's going to be ups and downs and that you have to be okay with the downs too and embrace them just as much because they will teach you something.

I was an English major in university and that got me into novels, but I read a lot of books as a kid.