For me, it always starts with a question. Some great query about the universe I want to explore. I love the feeling of being existential and introspective, and I channel this into my work as I extrapolate on what it is I want to discover. I don’t think I would be able to understand anything about myself or the world around me without the ability to write. My pen and paper are the very tools I use when I decide to map out my excavation site. As I go through the process of excavating every gooey and mushy part of my insides, I find I turn to pre-existing, usually classical, literature and media as a further tool into these scientific discoveries. Anything from Shakespeare to Jane Austen to a Kim Petras song to the Christian Bible to Greek Mythology. Nothing is safe from serving as a pickaxe in my mining process. I wouldn’t be here without the writers, and previous explorers, who shaped me. If you’re just as interested in deep diving into the secrets of the universe and your very own feelings, then grab a headlamp and jump into the dark, emotional caverns with me. It won’t be too painful, I promise.