I grew up as that sweet but shy and slightly awkward kid that was always in the wings somewhere.  That quiet kid with ADHD who would read books in class to the ire and begrudging pride of his teachers and parents.  That "gifted child" who was a mini-adult in some ways, and woefully behind the curve in others.  I've tried to hold onto that kid as much as possible.

I'd been obviously musically inclined from a very young age.  The first favorite song I recall having was at three years old, with Savatage's "Not What You See."  I had dabbled in playing music since I was eight years old, when I got my first small keyboard for Christmas.  From there on, I tried violin for a year or two, played around with an ocarina (for Zelda reasons, naturally), but eventually circled back to piano.

In 2005, in the infancy of YouTube, I came across somebody playing "To Zanarkand" from Final Fantasy X, and decided that I wanted to do that.  I somehow convinced my dad to get me a piano, and before too long, he showed up with an old Winter spinet he found on Craigslist.  I was only 13 at the time.  I'm sure he rationalized it as an investment for his teenager, in a passion that wasn't gonna cause trouble.  And he must have had faith that it wasn't something I would drop and quit.  Smart man.

I don't know when it was that I consciously decided that music is what I wanted my life to be about.  As a compulsive overthinker, I'm seldom sure of anything in my life.  But in spite of battling severe anxiety and depression in my adult life, I am still sure of that.  Whether it will ever sustain me materialistically or physiologically remains to be seen.  But that's not ultimately why we do this, is it?

So that's where you come in, dear reader.  Just as much as for my own mental health and fulfillment, forming connections to others through my craft is why I do what I do.  If you are reading this, I am sincerely glad you have found yourself here.  I hope I can glean even a modest community through my work.  If that ends up being your bag, all the better.

So welcome!  There's always a place here for you, should you want it.