I absolutely believe that crisis breeds inspiration. That is to say, I create some of what I consider to believe my best works of art under incredible emotional duress. This is due to the authenticity that comes hand-in-hand with an aching heart.

When do you believe yourself to be the most truthful?

For me, it’s at points of total physical and emotional exhaustion. That kind of moment where the sunset is in the midst of dancing across the sky, slivers of light seeping into your room. That kind of light that cats look amazing in. That moment where the day has worn your body down and all you want to do is sleep, but then as if to add insult to injury, you fall victim to one of those “we need to talk” conversations which never go well.

Once you clean up, finding yourself no longer privy to the rolling of tears and the draining sinus, you have reached what I consider to be prime creative state. Of course, different people have different times of day where they feel especially inspired. Some wake up before the crows at dawn and their fingers fly away on the keyboard. Others have a more sluggish reaction to the morning and you’ll find them still up past midnight, creating art by the moon’s soft light. While I’m a night person by trade, I believe that with enough practices—or under the right emotional circumstances—creativity is possible at all times of day.

The raw honesty of the post emotional moment is what entices me. Not to romanticize pain, but there is something incredibly authentic that comes from telling a story when all you want to do is shut out the world. I have been told that the most important part of a story is truth—the truth that you put into it as the storyteller, as the actor or artist.

If you don’t believe it, why should those consuming your art?

The thing is, we all find ourselves at ground zero once in a while. That moment where absolutely nothing is going right in your life. Sometimes there is no pinpoint trigger and you’re just having a rough time. The beauty of creating in this space is two-fold: not only does the art benefit from complete artistic integrity, but the artist also has a source of catharsis to channel their emotions. Revisions post-inspiration can be taken to truly perfect a piece, but to put words to a page or brush-strokes to an easel can be the first step.

Sometimes these ground zero moments are just products of pure exhaustion and that’s all there is to them. However, sometimes they feel like life and death. Sometimes you feel like a spaceship helplessly flying through the nebula that is life. Being able to channel these high-order, complex emotions and feelings into art can be life-saving. When you look back on these art pieces, you can better understand yourself. And if you share them, share your truth—sometimes others can understand themselves a bit better as well.