Shattered Memories
The catalyst that sparked this album was a difference of opinion with my parents. I asked them to respect my decision to be in a relationship with the woman I’ve been with for three and a half years, which they refused to do. I wrote more about this in my “Fighting the Urge to Be Lazy” article, but the gist is that this was the first time we had strongly disagreed on anything, and it threw my whole mindset asunder.
Every memory I had of them and everything else in life permanently shattered (thus the title). It made me question all of my interactions over the years, and realize how much of a pushover I was. I’m not going to sit here and proclaim to be a bastion of independence and free will now, but those deeply-buried tendencies are coming back.
This process has changed my relationship with my parents, with certain old friends, and especially with myself. I’ve had the proclivity to be very hard on myself when I don’t rise to other people’s standards or my own, and I realize how unhealthy that has been. I can only do the best that I can do, and when others try to control my behaviors (as I’ve let them do in the past), I can catch it quickly now and deflect the attempt.
Growth Through Creativity
It also led to learning that creative expression is the best way that I have to learn about myself and to realize that this…
