People have this idea of me being some kind of monster, and that's the complete opposite of who I am.

I don't like things to be handed to me on a plate; that means nothing. I like to go through layers of unraveling and every time I listen to something, it makes me feel something different. Now I'm aware of the conflict that's going on, but at the time I just let what was happening happen.

If you want to be good at anything, you have to work hard at it. It doesn't just fall from the sky. I work every day at trying to improve my writing, and I really enjoy it. Nothing fascinates me more than putting words together, and seeing how a collection of words can produce quite a profound effect.

I long ago learned that you can't expect people to interpret the songs in the way they had meant for you, as the writer.

As far as in my adult life, it kinda started (with) writing first 'cause I went to school in Nashville. I mean, not Nashville but close to Nashville, and I met my managers in L.A. at a convention randomly. And then, it kinda just started from there. And then, I got my publishing deal.

Some people, like Leonard Cohen, write one album every 10 years, and labor over a song for five years at a time.

It's so much in me to want to keep experimenting all the time. It's just inherent.