This first chapter is the "embark" on the journey with these conversations with the various selves within my timeline.

Lyrics:

Oh, I traveled back in time to meet the boy I used to be
I said to him, if you could see the things that I have seen
You would laugh and you would cry, well maybe even wanna die
Oh, but it's quite the life to live

See, I've had some people leave that really could have stayed
I've had some drunken nights, oh in the morning I have paid
You would laugh and you would cry, well maybe even wanna die
Oh, but it's quite the life to live

Sometimes, oh there'll be dark and dreary days
But I've come to tell you kid, that it'll be okay
Cause when you almost lost, well that's when you find your way
Oh, but it's quite the life to live

Yes, it's quite the life
Yes, it's quite the life
Oh, it's quite the life to live

As the second part of the series, I wanted to challenge myself lyrically. To do so, I asked the people around me at the time for a prompt:

"If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?"

I took their insights, wove them together, and crafted this letter to a younger version of myself.

Lyrics:

Venture out, get out of your box
It's not the place you want to live
Learn self-love, you're the one that's always there
The forever  friend you're looking for

Try to be kind to all you know
It's so true you reap what you sow
Just take the time to consider what I've said

Take your time and let yourself heal
Our heart, body, and minds are one
Care and love the older folk
Their mystery is likewise yours

Be sure to moisturize
Always buy your beds queen-sized
Just take the time to consider what I've said

You can't attempt to help someone else who doesn't know how to help themselves
If you want to try some drugs, well, only try the good

I grew up with an unhealthy fear of 'the end of the world'. This piece was my answer to working through those fears and what I would tell my younger self at the height of being swallowed by them.

Lyrics:

I said, hey, my friend, don't you worry about the end
And all the things that you see all around
Hey, my friend, don't you hurry and pretend
Pretend to be something that you're not

I said, hey, my friend, enjoy it while you can
And all the things that you see all around
Hey, my friend, oh, until the very end
Contemplate the earth and moon and stars

I said, hey, my friend, no it ain't the end
Ain't quite time for you to call it quits quite yet
Hey, my friend, on the words you can depend
Because this word is yours and mine the same

I said, hey, my friend, don't you worry about the end
The end will come sooner than you think
Beware, my friend, don't be focused on the end
Because the end will come when the end will come

The end will come when the end will come

*Trigger warning (discussion of suicide)*

This chapter is particularly heavy, as it reflects a conversation with myself at the time of my first suicide attempt at age 17. When I initially wrote these lyrics, I was grappling with similar feelings of wanting to disappear after another attempt and searching for a way to ground myself or at least explore the foundations of my desires.

It follows "Chapter 3, Armageddon" because the themes of craving death and the end of the world were deeply rooted in the religious teachings I grew up with. These influences shaped my perspective, making it easy to resonate with the lyrics from Dawes:

"And if Heaven was all that was promised to me, why don't I pray for death?"

Lyrics:

Each passing moment, the time slips away
The truths I found out throughout the days
Through everything

It kills me to see your heart burn and bleed
When it feels like you're drowning in the misery
In Missouri

And you'll fight but you'll lose
And one

The heart of this conversation lies in expressing a desire for my younger self to "just get through." It weaves in whimsical details, like my favorite fast food order from the past, alongside profound reflections, such as the realization that only time can heal deep pain.

Lyrics:

Always order the number three extra cheese, it's a guarantee
Tell the stars that they have your heart, you're a part of their very start
There appears to be a discrepancy in a few things that you do believe
How about that

I just want the best for you
I just want to see you get through, all the stupid fucking bullshit, my friend

Times are hard and they'll get harder
You fooled around and lost your heart, sir
The only way to get it back is a long way, that's okay

I just want the best for you
I just want to see you get through, all the stupid fucking bullshit, my friend

Sweet lullabies, they make us want to cry, sometimes fly
Maybe a little beer, weed and wine, just sometimes, that'll be

Feeling the weight of never being enough, I longed to reassure this version of myself that he was, in fact, enough. The lyrics echo a journey of breaking free from pain and expectations, finding solace in self-acceptance, and embracing the freedom to define one’s own path.

Lyrics:

The truth of it is, the hurt you caused has left me in bliss
The change oh to come, it's gonna burn brighter than the sun
No longer adapting to the numb

The guilt that I feel, can turn on me so I can't heal
The chaos of your schemes, is only fantasy and dreams
No longer your darkness I will be

I've did all my best, so now I can finally rest
With the idea inside of me, it's my choice and I am free
I'm not that thing you need me to be, I'm not that thing you want me to be
It's my choice, I'm finally free

It's my choice, I'm finally free
I'm not that thing you need me to be, I'm not that thing you want me to be
It's my choice, I'm finally free

This piece reflects on the push and pull of change and the struggle to stay still. It highlights how distractions, especially those found in nature, can bring comfort and balance while grappling with life's challenges.

Lyrics:

Seasons change, autumn rearranges all the things inside my mind
Tides turn, oh I burn, it's a mysterious type of kind
You think some things might change, ooh, but they'll be like this for a while

The pines that line this ocean gateway remind me that it's hard for me to stay in one place
The bumps in the road cause me to slow, but slowing down just isn't for me
The concentration of fear is never high, ooh, when you want to die

There's nothing wrong with being distracted by the nature cause it nurtures all of your soul
To erase some time from your line, that's the truth and consequence of being free
Living is being distracted, ooh, by the things that you want

Fear and loathing, they have me under some kind of spell
They say"kick off your shoes

As the series nears its conclusion, this message reflects on the relationship with time—its brevity and irreplaceable nature.

Lyrics:

Father time and mother nature have tried to let me know
Instance after instance I've ignored my soul
Now the grim reaper's coming after me 'cause I've burnt up all my love

Don't be like me and think the things I've thought
Search for meaningless treasures, the only thing I've sought
Now the grim reaper's coming after me 'cause I've burnt up all my love

The enemy of time, protecting you
From neglecting the things you love when mortality is due

This final chapter of the series presents a conversation between my present self and my future self. It draws inspiration from my self-love letter-turned-song, Sincerely, Your Dearest Friend (2022). There’s no greater comfort than hearing from your future self that things will be okay and that “you’re going places.” The title is a direct homage to my all-time favorite trilogy, Back to the Future, which had significant inspirational impact on this series.

Lyrics:

Excuse me sir, can I walk with you in your car
I hope you understand it's a little far
I've traveled far to come and meet with you
Thanks for stopping by the show tonight

Love to hear life is gonna be alright
Long nights alone seem to give me such a fright
I know you will be okay if you stick around for a little while
You'd be surprised at the places you're headed from here

Oh, you're going places
You're going places, my dear friend
Oh, you're going places
You're going places
You're going places
You're

Music that goes along with Part 1 of the Elliott Sundae Series

The song "Looking Down" is the origin point of writing the Elliott Sundae Series. It coincides Part 2 (46 Orbits Prior) in Meanderings (2025).  A reminder that what we hold on to may not last forever.

Music that goes along with Part 4 (24 Orbits Later) of Meanderings (2025).

Acrylic Marker on Wood/Guitar

2026

Acrylic marker on Wood/Guitar

2025

Spray paint on wood/guitar

2012

Acrylic paint on wood/guitar

2016

Spray paint on wood/plastic/guitar

2012

Nearly two decades of poetry culminating into a Kickstarter campaign launched at the beginning of 2025 to bring the book to life. The campaign successfully funded self-publishing through Politics and Prose, covering production costs. Blending personal reflection with evocative storytelling. This debut collection marks a milestone in independent publishing, offering readers a deeply introspective journey through poetry.

Growing up beneath rural skies, I learned to see the night as both a map and a mirror. These works are an homage to that experience and the way countless others have tilted their gaze upward, tracing patterns in the stars while also charting constellations within themselves. Each card blends cosmic possibility with inner exploration, reflecting how the search for space often begins in our own minds.

Marker on paper
9" x 12"

Growing up beneath rural skies, I learned to see the night as both a map and a mirror. These works are an homage to that experience and the way countless others have tilted their gaze upward, tracing patterns in the stars while also charting constellations within themselves. Each card blends cosmic possibility with inner exploration, reflecting how the search for space often begins in our own minds.

Marker on paper
9" x 12"

Growing up beneath rural skies, I learned to see the night as both a map and a mirror. These works are an homage to that experience and the way countless others have tilted their gaze upward, tracing patterns in the stars while also charting constellations within themselves. Each card blends cosmic possibility with inner exploration, reflecting how the search for space often begins in our own minds.

Marker on paper
9" x 12"

Growing up beneath rural skies, I learned to see the night as both a map and a mirror. These works are an homage to that experience and the way countless others have tilted their gaze upward, tracing patterns in the stars while also charting constellations within themselves. Each card blends cosmic possibility with inner exploration, reflecting how the search for space often begins in our own minds.

Marker on paper
9" x 12"

Growing up beneath rural skies, I learned to see the night as both a map and a mirror. These works are an homage to that experience and the way countless others have tilted their gaze upward, tracing patterns in the stars while also charting constellations within themselves. Each card blends cosmic possibility with inner exploration, reflecting how the search for space often begins in our own minds.

Marker on paper
9" x 12"

Growing up beneath rural skies, I learned to see the night as both a map and a mirror. These works are an homage to that experience and the way countless others have tilted their gaze upward, tracing patterns in the stars while also charting constellations within themselves. Each card blends cosmic possibility with inner exploration, reflecting how the search for space often begins in our own minds.

Acrylic on canvas
8" x 10"

Growing up beneath rural skies, I learned to see the night as both a map and a mirror. These works are an homage to that experience and the way countless others have tilted their gaze upward, tracing patterns in the stars while also charting constellations within themselves. Each card blends cosmic possibility with inner exploration, reflecting how the search for space often begins in our own minds.

Marker on paper
9" x 12"

Growing up beneath rural skies, I learned to see the night as both a map and a mirror. These works are an homage to that experience and the way countless others have tilted their gaze upward, tracing patterns in the stars while also charting constellations within themselves. Each card blends cosmic possibility with inner exploration, reflecting how the search for space often begins in our own minds.

Marker on paper, 9' x 12', 2025

This piece captures the rhythms, textures, and layered energy of live music on a warm summer night. The intertwining lines and contrasting patterns echo the flow of sound through the crowd, with each section holding its own tempo. It’s both a map of memory and an improvisation on paper, a visual jam session in black and white.

Marker on paper , 9' x 12', 2025

An attempted emergence while being pulled further into an abyss. The image reflects the experience of struggling in plain sight, visible yet unseen. It gives form to the quiet hope many carry that someone will notice how stuck you feel.

Mixed media on paper, 9' x 12', 2025

I feel a deep connection in the way I’ve fallen in love with this first chosen home of Baltimore. This is my minds interpretation of the city’s beauty.

Mixed media on paper, 9' x 12', 2025

Inspired by a return trip to St. Louis, Missouri, this piece reflects the highways that have shaped a life of movement. Each curve and intersection discusses the countless roads traveled, both literal and personal. The composition mirrors the twists and turns of journeying, where every route leaves its mark and every path carries memory forward.

Mixed media on paper, 12' x 9', 2025

Color loosens its edges and spills into paper, tape, and torn fragments. In the tangle of mixed materials, order gives way to a deliberate kind of chaos, where mess becomes language and each layer reveals another way of being seen.

Photograph taken in Scottsdale, AZ (2012)

Photograph taken of cousin in Las Vegas, NV (2011)

Photograph taken of Jesse Hall, University of Missouri Campus, Columbia, Missouri (2017)

Photograph taken of Christ Church St. Michael's Parish, St. Michael's, MD (2023)

This piece is the art that I constructed for my demo album Dandelion Soup (2024)

Featured signage from a festival I organized in Columbia, MO, in May 2023, called Escape the Monotony. This music and arts festival, made possible with the help of many wonderful people, showcased an all-day lineup of live music, artists, spoken word performances, and vendors representing diverse backgrounds and crafts. The festival's purpose was true to its name: to provide an enriching escape from the day-to-day grind through the transformative power of art.

Photograph taken in Columbia, MO (2018)