There’s a funny thing that happened on the road trip.

We’re hours into Texas. Everyone’s kind of in their own world — family road trips have this rhythm where you cycle through talking too much, then silence, then someone asleep, then everyone suddenly hungry at the same time. And I had my earbuds in for a stretch, listening to music, staring out the window at a landscape that just keeps going.

And I realized the songs I was reaching for were all emotional. Storytelling songs. Songs about journeys and distances and the people you carry with you even when they’re not in the car.

My brain was already composing. Not in a conscious, “now I will write a song” way. In the background, underneath everything else, the creative part of me was taking notes. Processing. Filing things away.

By the time we crossed back into California, I had an entire notepad’s worth of fragments. Half-lines. Images. A title or two. One melody I hummed into my phone so I wouldn’t forget it.

I’m still sorting through all of it. Some of it belongs to projects already in progress. Some of it might become something new entirely. And honestly? Some of it might just be notes that exist to remind me of how I felt in that moment — the bigness of Texas sky, the smallness of one car on a long road, the particular comfort of your people nearby.

Not everything has to be a song. Sometimes it just has to be a feeling you remember.

But knowing me? Most of it will end up a song. 😂

Comment below — what’s the most unexpected place you’ve been struck by creative inspiration?

Follow me on all your streaming platforms and stay tuned for what Texas helped me create. 🎶