It's inevitable your environment will influence what you do
I privilege the music over the lyrics
For my second record I had gotten ProTools and started to familiar myself with hard disc recording.
I got a publishing deal with BMG, they were supportive, and some money to record demos
I'd have these weird experiences where I'd just be walking down the street with this chord progression in my head, this happened more than a few times, and I'd walk home and find a fax in my machine and it would match the music in my head
I certainly wouldn't say that my life is a disaster, but there have been moments where I've felt like that