It was my 13th birthday when I received a ukulele as a present from my parents. Little did I know, this ukulele would serve as a foundation for many more of my creative projects in the future. I spent time learning how to play it all by myself, learning the fingerings and the different kinds of chord progressions. After getting a hang of it, I started to write my own songs.

Growing up as a queer Hispanic kid in middle school wasn’t always the easiest thing, so I often wrote about my feelings and experiences to help cope with them. The first song I made was called “Wishes,” and it was about embracing the sense of innocence and curiosity that one has when they’re young. This song still sits in my notes app, untouched, as a reminder from the younger version of myself that there is still so much more to love and experience in life.

Considering I was a beginner, the songs I first made weren’t the best, but they got the job of catharsis done. I wrote about love, sadness, anger, and more, and with this came experience in writing. I would often write my songs in a poetic structure, which allowed me to not only express myself in descriptive ways but also gain an appreciation for the art of poetry and music. Through this process, I also learned to manage and cope with my emotions at an early age, whatever they were.

My creative process usually stems from a specific feeling or experience. When I recognize and acknowledge these feelings or experiences, I then analyze them, sometimes too much. Once I have a grasp on it, I start to write about it, usually as if I’m having a conversation with another person. Throughout this process, it’s almost like I’m reliving these experiences, so at times, I take a step back to preserve a healthy mental state. I think that this is what makes music so important to me now, the fact that I’m able to get so lost within it and see it as a part of myself.

Ever since 7th grade, I have been making songs about all kinds of things: Silly little crushes, breakups that never happened, loneliness, or times of reflection--just about anything that I experience, I try to express in some way through music. In a sense, my music is almost like a diary that I occasionally choose to share with the world, and I think that’s what makes my creative process admirable.