(wind rumbling) (footsteps pattering) (zipper whirring) (board claps) - Hi, I'm me.

And this is "Beauty."

(gentle string music) (gentle string music continues) (gentle string music continues) ♪ It's a beauty, this life ♪ ♪ She said ♪ ♪ Through her porcelain lips, stone cold ♪ ♪ But brighter than the sun ♪ ♪ And softer than the rosebud ♪ ♪ You're beauty as I've made you to be ♪ ♪ Get lost in this wonderland of yours ♪ ♪ Until you're ready to return home to me ♪ ♪ It's a beauty, this life, she said ♪ ♪ Along with all of its miseries ♪ ♪ You won't find gold in an apple ♪ ♪ But a seed ♪ ♪ To plant and grow your own tree ♪ ♪ It's a beauty, this life ♪ ♪ She said ♪ ♪ Where you're given the give of choice ♪ ♪ When no one can force your hand ♪ ♪ And no one can steal your voice ♪ ♪ I made it so you may grow ♪ ♪ In any way ♪ ♪ Or not at all ♪ ♪ You're beauty as I've made you to be ♪ ♪ Get lost in this wonderland of yours ♪ ♪ Until you're ready to return home to me ♪ (gentle string music continues) ♪ It's a beauty, this life ♪ ♪ She said ♪ ♪ It's yours, I gave it to you ♪ ♪ Do with it what you choose ♪ ♪ You're a beauty ♪ ♪ You're a beauty ♪ ♪ You're a beauty ♪ ♪ As I've made you to be ♪ ♪ Get lost in this wonderland of yours ♪ (gentle string music concludes) So "Beauty" is inspired by a moment when I was deep in meditation and I was feeling hopeless after going through what some people call an ego death where everything around you falls away and you're left with basically yourself and the self that you don't wanna look at.

And so the only way I could get through it, through the pain and the sadness and the fear honestly, was to meditate.

And I would go into the hour long, deep meditation sessions.

And in one of these I had a moment with what I call source or the creator energy.

And it was very feminine.

And so every word in "Beauty" is a description of what this source said to me and how she looked.

And it was this beautiful, radiant white feminine like being in my subconscious.

And she just said, You're a beauty.

That's like who you are at your core and I've made you this way.

So enjoy this wonderland.

Live in it, play in it, experience it 'cause it's yours.

I gave it to you and you can do whatever you want with it.

You know, there's no judgment, and that's, it helped me heal in a lot of ways.

'cause I'm always like, I should have coulda, woulda.

And I'm always giving myself this layer of shame and drenching myself in it.

And so as soon as I got out of this meditative state, after feeling this warmth and comfort, I got to my guitar and started playing the guitar parts inspired by "White Horse," by Taylor Swift.

But from that, I just was pulling on that memory of that meditation and it keeps me going often.

And it brings me to peace during a set when I'm really nervous.

And I hope that it can do the same for any listeners.