"Mental, physical, spiritual and environmental. All must be aligned on the same frequency before I open the gates. The first three are easier than the last, which is always at the mercy of our surroundings. The preparation is the key. For once inspiration starts to flow, I’ve got to be completely unencumbered to receive. Anything can interrupt those fleeting moments if my focus drifts off and she never smiles the same way twice! I try to stay in this fertile zone as long as possible, or until the spell is lifted, but one never knows. For every song or composition that has been conceived and matured, countless others might have been. And may still.

The refinement of the original vision continues to be the more laborious stage, and in terms of actual hours, there is no comparison between the two. From the point where physical and external limitations enter the dance, dedication and sheer hard work take over and the challenge becomes to remain true to that first glimpse of purity as new elements vie for their place in a creation. Decisions made at this point can steer the music in a whole new direction, especially if I lose perspective on the bigger picture. A radical change can even yield an entirely new piece of music! Clearly, quite a battle wages throughout between the role of minutiae and the ensemble as a whole.

Rarely will I impose boundaries or structure on what the muse brings, I’m always far too excited to see what there is to be found. It is such an innocent process really when you don’t allow subjectivity to interfere. The magic of creation can be so inherently accessible that I have wondered if it might be too quick sometimes to be special. Tapping into this energy is like that, it can be staggering when the channel is completely open. I believe this is because one becomes so immersed that the immediacy seems startlingly familiar. Once back in the tangible, I strive diligently to avoid repetition, be it lyrical or melodic. If an aspect must recur, then it must be expressed differently, with a new angle or words. For this same reason, I regularly discard song fragments that I deem too common or that simply fail to challenge me. This completely subjective filter, applied at various stages in the process, can only be described as sensitive intuition, and is inbred. It either feels good or it doesn't. And I usually know right away. Through the ensuing days, weeks and years striving to get it to feel exactly right, I often fantasize about the initial inspiration. And every once in awhile, the music resounds gloriously - just like in that first divine encounter."