If you want to create something that's worth doing you have to self-edit from the get-go. You really must be careful and selective with whom you work, you must constantly ask yourself the hard questions about your art, and you must set a nearly unattainable standard for yourself.

I recognize that no matter how old I get, how many records I've done, or what the public perception of me is, there are still exciting things that I haven't done.

I really try towork with an artist who is trying to create a long legacy of quality rather than trying to jump aboard a trend.

I feel like I've gotten to the point where when I get tired of making art I can make a smooth transition into making music and vice versa. There is always something to do.

It can be difficult to mediate a compromise between what I have in my head and what the musician has in mind, which is often 180° different when it comes to the finished product, so it requires that element of trust from somewhere. The point I make to them is "You've seen what I do, so just trust me and we will come up with something exciting."

Art came fluidly, so I was able to teach myself many of the things I thought were important by copying and mimicking my artistic idols.

In fact, many musicians are the happiest when the artist and audience re-interpret or re-imagine the content of the songs.