“I’m not sure about something that most people wouldn’t guess, but I’m from a small town here in Nebraska called Cedar Bluffs. I attended public school there from kindergarten through my senior year, and there were only 19 kids in my graduating class.

I’m also a big fan of collecting vinyl records. I’ve got hundreds of them, and there is constantly something spinning on the turntable whenever I’m home. Recently, it’s been a lot of Bob Dylan, Doechii, and Magdalena Bay.

Oh! Also, I’ve got two pet rabbits. Their names are Jojo and Honeybun, and they’re the best.”

“This is tough. There are so many to pick from.

For book, I’ll go with Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein,’ both because it’s such a powerful story of finding your own voice when the entire world is against you, and because of Shelley’s own triumphs as a writer. In the early 1800s, she almost single-handedly created the science-fiction genre when she was less than 20 years old. Truly incredible stuff.

A few of my favorite movies would be ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ ‘Boyhood,’ ‘The Holdovers,’ ‘The Wind Rises’ and ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail.’ All great stories with compelling characters and dramatic weight to them – then Monty Python is just plain funny.

I’m going to pick a couple of albums rather than a song. Pink Floyd’s ‘Animals’ and David Bowie’s ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars’ are a couple of my all-time favorites. Then there’s my favorite band, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, who are a crazy bunch of Australians who consistently put out some of the best rock music of the century. They’ve released almost 30 records since the early 2010s, and each one has a unique flavor and approach to it, ranging from thrash metal, to EDM, to jazz-rock, and so much more. Their constant hard work to produce so much great material is genuinely inspiring to me. Plus the music is a ton of fun too.”

“I’d like to be able to better express myself musically. Probably through playing the piano, or the saxophone, or some kind of instrument like that. I can already play the trumpet and piano a bit, but I’m far from great at either.”

“Recently, I’ve found one of the most impactful lessons I’ve learned came from my partner, who said it’s about progress, not perfection. This started out as an idea to apply to the many different projects we had to complete around the house, but it has evolved into a genuine philosophy. I approach each day with the goal to make it just a bit better than the previous one. If you get too hung up on making everything perfect, you’ll never get anything done and life will pass by while you’re not looking.

I’ve been lucky to have a very strong support system of friends and family, without whom I would not be the person that I am today. Though life has certainly come with no shortage of setbacks, challenges, and tough moments, the consistent support I’ve received has shown me that things do, genuinely, get better. You’ve got to be optimistic about it, and not let the bad things weigh you down too much.”