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How To Use Journaling As A Songwriting Tool

Journaling is a powerful tool for songwriters because it creates a space to explore emotions, capture ideas, and build habits that keep creativity flowing. It also offers a steady practice that strengthens both lyrical depth and personal voice.

  1. Begin each day with stream-of-consciousness writing, letting words flow freely without editing. This practice unlocks hidden emotions and unexpected images, many of which naturally become lyrical ideas or song concepts.
  2. Keep a daily log of sensory details—what you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. These vivid descriptions bring songs to life and help listeners connect through tangible, relatable imagery.
  3. Write short character sketches of people you encounter, from friends to strangers. Giving them voices, quirks, and inner thoughts creates a library of characters that can evolve into verses, choruses, or even entire stories.
  4. Create themed entries around single words or phrases. By focusing on one idea, you generate multiple perspectives and approaches that sharpen your lyrical skills and open new angles for songwriting.
  5. Record reflections on music you listen to each day. Capture the mood it creates, the emotions it stirs, and the lyrics that stand out. This deepens awareness of craft and helps refine your own artistic choices.

Journaling turns everyday experiences into a wellspring of inspiration, giving songwriters a direct path from page to melody. With consistent practice, it builds a stronger voice, sharper storytelling, and an endless source of creative fuel.

Erykah Badu’s Isolated Vocals For “On & On”

Released in 1996 as the lead single from her debut album ‘Baduizm,’ Erykah Badu’s “On & On” became a defining neo-soul anthem. Blending spiritual themes with smooth, soulful grooves, it topped the R&B chart and reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song earned Badu a Grammy and cemented her place as one of the genre’s most important voices.



Game Developer Revolution: How Nano Banana Games Is Transforming Asset Creation Workflows

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By Mitch Rice

The game development industry stands at a revolutionary crossroads. As a game developer, you’ve likely experienced the endless cycle of asset creation bottlenecks, expensive outsourcing costs, and the constant struggle to bring creative visions to life within tight budgets and deadlines. The traditional pipeline of concept art, modeling, texturing, and iteration has remained largely unchanged for decades—until now.

Nano Banana Games represents a paradigm shift in how we approach game asset creation, offering an AI-powered playground that transforms the fundamental economics and creative possibilities of game development.

The Asset Creation Crisis in Game Development

Every game developer knows the pain points that plague our industry. Character design requires multiple iterations, each consuming weeks of artist time. Environmental assets demand extensive modeling and texturing work. Concept art exploration eats into production budgets before a single line of code is written.

Traditional workflows force difficult choices: compromise on visual quality, extend development timelines, or inflate budgets with expensive outsourcing. Small indie studios face particularly harsh realities—limited budgets mean choosing between hiring programmers or artists, never having enough resources for both.

The modern gaming market demands increasingly sophisticated visuals while development timelines shrink. Players expect AAA-quality assets even from indie productions, creating an almost impossible standard for small teams to meet through conventional methods.

Enter the AI-Powered Creative Revolution

Nano Banana Games’ AI playground fundamentally disrupts traditional asset creation workflows. This isn’t just another image editing tool—it’s a comprehensive creative laboratory that understands game development needs and accelerates every aspect of visual content creation.

The platform’s pose generation capabilities alone revolutionize character development workflows. Instead of hiring multiple concept artists or spending weeks iterating on character poses, developers can now generate dynamic action scenes, battle stances, and character expressions in minutes. The AI understands gaming contexts, creating poses that work naturally within interactive environments.

Face swap and virtual try-on features transform character customization development. Game developers can rapidly prototype different character variations, test various visual styles, or create diverse character rosters without extensive modeling work. These AI avatars can be integrated with audio systems for lip sync functionality, enabling realistic dialogue and cutscene creation without mocap studios. This technology enables small teams to achieve character diversity that previously required entire art departments.

Advanced Asset Creation Capabilities

The image enhancement laboratory within Nano Banana Games addresses critical game development challenges. Texture restoration and colorization tools breathe new life into legacy assets, enabling developers to modernize classic games or repurpose existing artwork for new projects.

Background replacement and environment generation capabilities streamline world-building processes. Developers can experiment with different environmental themes, create varied biomes, or generate atmospheric backgrounds that enhance gameplay experiences. The AI understands spatial relationships and lighting consistency, ensuring generated assets integrate seamlessly into game worlds.

Object removal and image modification tools solve common development challenges—removing unwanted elements from stock photography, adapting real-world references for fantasy settings, or creating clean asset variations from single source images.

Professional Quality at Indie Scale

Nano Banana Games delivers professional-grade results up to 4K resolution, ensuring generated assets meet modern gaming standards. Whether creating mobile game sprites or high-resolution PC textures, the platform maintains quality across all output formats.

The commercial licensing included with all generated content eliminates common legal headaches that plague game development. Developers own full rights to their AI-generated discoveries, enabling confident commercial deployment without royalty concerns or usage restrictions.

Multiple export formats (PNG, JPG, WebP) ensure compatibility with all major game engines and development pipelines. Assets integrate seamlessly into Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot, or custom engine workflows without additional processing steps.

Streamlined Development Pipeline

The modern game development workflow with Nano Banana Games becomes elegantly efficient:

1. Concept exploration through rapid AI experimentation

2. Asset generation and variation testing

3. Integration into game engine workflows

4. Iterative refinement based on gameplay needs

5. Final polishing and optimization

This streamlined approach means development teams spend more time on core gameplay mechanics, level design, and player experience optimization rather than wrestling with asset creation bottlenecks. AI-generated character assets can be seamlessly combined with voice acting through lip sync technology, creating engaging narrative experiences without traditional animation pipelines.

Economic Impact on Game Development

For game developers, Nano Banana Games represents a fundamental economic transformation. Asset creation costs that traditionally consumed 40-60% of development budgets can be dramatically reduced while maintaining or improving quality standards.

Small indie teams can now compete visually with larger studios. A solo developer or small team can generate the visual asset diversity that previously required dedicated art departments. This democratization of high-quality asset creation levels the playing field between indie developers and larger studios.

The ability to rapidly prototype and iterate on visual concepts accelerates the entire development process. Publishers and investors see tangible progress earlier in development cycles, potentially improving funding opportunities and reducing financial risk.

Creative Experimentation Without Constraints

Perhaps most importantly, Nano Banana Games removes creative constraints that have historically limited game development ambitions. Developers can experiment with art styles that were previously cost-prohibitive. Fantasy games can feature diverse character designs, sci-fi projects can explore varied environmental themes, and historical games can authenticate visual elements without extensive research and modeling overhead.

The platform encourages creative risk-taking by making experimentation essentially free. Developers can explore multiple art directions simultaneously, test various character designs with focus groups, or create diverse asset libraries for future projects without significant financial commitment.

Integration with Modern Development Tools

Nano Banana Games integrates naturally with modern game development workflows. Generated assets work seamlessly with popular game engines, supporting standard formats and resolution requirements. The platform’s credit-based pricing model aligns with project-based development cycles, allowing teams to scale usage based on current project needs.

The collaborative nature of the platform supports team-based development approaches. Multiple team members can contribute to asset generation and exploration, building shared libraries of visual resources that support long-term project goals.

The Future of Game Development

The convergence of AI-powered asset creation and accessible game development tools isn’t just changing how games are made—it’s expanding what’s possible for individual developers and small teams. Visual limitations no longer constrain creative ambitions.

Game developers who embrace AI-powered asset creation workflows gain competitive advantages in increasingly crowded markets. Higher production values achieved with smaller budgets enable more experimental projects, niche market exploration, and creative risk-taking that drives innovation.

Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.

AG Club Duo Jody Fontaine and Baby Boy Drop New Single “Again” With Global New Balance Campaign

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The duo of Jody Fontaine and Baby Boy of hip-hop collective AG Club release the brand new single “Again.” The song arrives in tandem with the launch of the Global Access On Tour With AG Club – New Balance 1000 For JD Sports campaign, which stars the duo and features “Again” throughout.

“Again” was produced by Beach Noise, UV Killin Em, and Gray Toomey, and as is customary with the fast-rising group, they arrived primed and ready to make it an AG Club summer. The airy and serene production provides a comfortable sonic backdrop that Baby Boy and Fontaine use to toast to the good life – a lifestyle they’ve earned through their diligent ascent in the last few years. Notably, it arrives as the collective’s first new single since their acclaimed 2024 mixtape BRODIE WORLD.

BRODIE WORLD was a bold step in the evolution of AG Club’s sound, fusing playful imagination with an innate sense of aesthetic-a whimsical, masterful, and electric body of work full of sharp technique and raw impulse. Upon release, BRODIE WORLD was met with excitement and critical acclaim. Stereogum praised AG Club’s “day-glo, reckless, youthful charm” while proclaiming that they “exist in their own lane,” while Alternative Press called the mixtape a “tremendous experiment in having fun that, despite being ‘made for their friends,’ we all benefit greatly from.” Uproxx noted the “unique production” of BRODIE WORLD, which “carries the[eir] laid-back, anything-goes raps, and it’s clear these guys are just having fun with it.” HYPEBEAST highlighted the “contagious candor” of the rap duo, while Ones To Watch commented upon release of the mixtape, “the Bay Area’s AG Club is everyone’s favorite secret, though the secret is certainly starting to get out.” Pigeons and Planes got right to the point: “We’ve been waiting for this album!”

AG Club has steadily built its audience with a multitude of releases since 2019, leading to acclaimed appearances at festivals such as Coachella, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Camp Flog Gnaw, Austin City Limits, and the 2024 X Games. AG Club has been crowned the “next big music collective,” by Nylon, “genuine, pure, and unlike anything you’ve experienced before” by Billboard and “The Bay Area music collective you wish you could join” by i-D. Baby Boy and Fontaine’s commitment to cohesion and culture has helped them develop a cult-like following that continues to grow with them, from 2020’s Halfway Off The Porch to 2022’s Imposter Syndrome.

AG Club has done it “Again” as they make their mark on 2025, with much more on the horizon.

Kanii Launches Bold New Era With Indie-Tinged Single “skin”

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 D.C. alt-pop provocateur Kanii kickstarts a new era with his propulsive new single “skin.” On the indie-tinged cut, fuzzy synths and guitars create a striking backdrop for vulnerable lyrics that emit a deep sense of longing. That bittersweet tone is reflected in a blurry-eyed video that finds the singer, songwriter, and artist sorting through the aftermath of a rager.

“skin” carves out new sonic territory for Kanii, but whether he’s exploring R&B, club beats, or something closer to pop punk, his songs remain youthful, restless, and undeniably catchy. Over driving percussion and vibrant chords, he lets loose the emotional poetry that’s become his trademark: “Do you feel my veins and arteries? The shortness in my lungs when you’re in my skin? / The blood it flows inside of me, your heart is just enough when you’re in my skin.”

The full extent of Kanii’s vision comes across in the “skin” video, which opens on him dozing on the floor of a cozy room, flashing back to the night before. In the same space, we see teens jumping on furniture, shooting silly string and bubble guns, and dancing with abandon. Other moments are more hallucinatory, with the kids faded or fading in a parked car while he sings, or Kanii and a friendly dalmatian exploring a field full of flowers. It all feels like a fever dream.

Kanii kicked off 2024 with “hate me” featuring wolfacejoeyy and The Heart Racers EP, a joint project with Riovaz and Nimstarr, that includes the retro-leaning singles “tell me” and “lost without you.” His swelling discography also boasts streaming hits like “nightcrawler,” “it was nice knowing u,” and “pretty photos.” His ascent first began in 2023 with the RIAA Gold-certified earworm “I Know,” which cracked the Billboard Hot 100.

The result of his sonic explorations is a global streaming tally that amasses nearly one billion streams. Now, with “skin,” the stage is set for an ambitious new phase that demonstrates the full scope of Kanii’s ever-evolving artistry.

Treaty Oak Revival Release Acoustic Album ‘The Talco Tapes’ Featuring Goo Goo Dolls Cover “Name”

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Treaty Oak Revival released The Talco Tapes, an acoustic album, via TOR Records, distributed by Interscope Records. Recorded live in the studio, the album features stripped-down versions of eight songs from the Odessa, Texas-based band’s first two albums, including the Gold-certified “I’m The Worst” and “Ode To Bourbon,” plus their soulful version of The Goo Goo Dolls’ 1995 hit “Name.”

“We had the idea to make an acoustic album a few years back, and it was always a project we wanted to pursue. So many people bring up our ‘PBS Unplugged’ session on YouTube, and we wanted to make a record that would be an ‘upgraded’ version of what we did in that session,” explains Treaty Oak Revival. “We thought it would be a great passion project for us that the fans would love, while also showing people that we are more than just a rock band. Each of our songs can translate from a hard rock banger to a laid-back country tune, if we put our minds to it.”

In the accompanying video, fans can see Treaty Oak Revival performing the album’s songs, live in the studio, along with behind-the-scenes footage of the band in between each song performance. View below.

“We chose to cover ‘Name’ by Goo Goo Dolls mainly because it was a song we all felt we knew and could relate to, especially being born in the nineties and growing up in the early 2000s,” says Treaty Oak Revival. “We also chose it because it’s a very beautiful, but slow song that we wouldn’t usually cover. We wanted to challenge ourselves to see what kind of personal twist we could put on it.”

The Talco Tapes also includes acoustic versions of four songs from Treaty Oak Revival’s 2021 debut album, No Vacancy, and four songs from 2023’s Have A Nice Day. Both albums have been lodged in the top 20 of the Apple Music country charts for the past year-and-a-half. Treaty Oak Revival has amassed over one billion streams with these two self-released albums. Six of the band’s songs have been certified Gold by the RIAA with some approaching Platinum soon. Nominated for an Academy of Country Music Award in the New Duo or Group of the Year category, Treaty Oak Revival is currently the biggest band in country and rock music, doing 22 million streams and selling 18,000 albums per week.

Treaty Oak Revival’s 2025 North American tour includes numerous sold-out headline shows plus performances at such festivals as Railbird, Bonnaroo and Tailgate N’ Tallboys Illinois.

Byrdie Wilson Confronts Heartbreak and Addiction on New Single “Over Me”

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Rising country artist Byrdie Wilson finds her voice with the release of her newest single, “Over Me,” available everywhere now! Co-written with fellow singer-songwriter Krissy Feniak, the track is a no-holds-barred look at the gut-wrenching moment when someone you love chooses alcohol over a future together.

Driven by a haunting melody and emotionally charged lyrics, “Over Me” paints a vivid picture of the wreckage left behind when addiction and dishonesty take the wheel. With lines like “It’s a quarter to 3 / You’re drinking Jack over me,”Wilson’s voice is equal parts grief-stricken and unflinching, striking a perfect balance between vulnerability and strength.

“Everyone talks about heartbreak, but not everyone talks about what it feels like when someone you love won’t fight for you – when they keep choosing the bottle or the betrayal instead,” says Wilson. “This song is for anyone who’s ever realized they deserve more and decided not to settle.”

With echoes of Miranda Lambert grit and Kelsea Ballerini vulnerability, Wilson’s voice cuts through the noise and makes you feel every word. It’s not just a breakup anthem; it’s a breakthrough.

Sebastian Schub Shares Tender New Single “Be Still” From Debut EP ‘Sing Like Madonna’

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Sebastian Schub has released “Be Still,” a new track from his debut EP Sing Like Madonna. “Be Still” is streaming now . The EP is out now via Island EMI / Capitol Records.

“Be Still” is a tender, intimate track putting the emphasis on Sebastian’s rich and powerful baritone vocal. It’s another beautiful taster to Seb’s first full body of work.

Sebastian Schub recently completed his sold-out UK tour and heads to the US in June for shows in New York and Los Angeles. Later this summer, he supports Noah Kahan at BST Hyde Park in London.

Sebastian Schub has lived a thousand lives before the one presented on his debut single “Sing Like Madonna.” An opera singer, actor, busker and now solo star in waiting, the German-born, London-based artist has gone from performing on the streets to blowing up on TikTok, every one of these disparate experiences moulding him into a special and distinctive new voice.

Born in Hamburg, Seb was enrolled into the city’s youth opera academy as a five-year-old, learning mime and musical theatre as well as singing. When he moved to London at 17 years old, his initial dream was to make it as an actor. With work in that field eluding him, he busked on the streets to make money.

Though he attended – and then dropped out of – music school, Seb found that the real work required to make it in music came from the hard yards of busking and pub gigs rather than a formal education.

While the days would be spent playing songs by other artists, it would be at 11pm on the South Bank, “when everyone had stopped listening,” that Seb would try new things out and find different tones and styles to his voice. He then scraped together some originals to get slots at Camden’s Spiritual Bar, the legendary open-mic venue that hosted early gigs from the likes of Michael Kiwanuka and Jade Bird.

With his rich, deep voice, he captivated rooms previously awash with inane chatter and got busy and impatient Londoners to pause their stomps around the city to watch him perform on the pavement.

After putting in the proverbial 10,000 hours, doing the hard yards and playing the dead gigs, it was somewhat perfect that Seb’s music then exploded online overnight. Immediate virality is common for songwriters in 2025, but very few experience it after toiling away like he has, meaning that Seb was ready for the whirlwind that is sure to follow.

Working with Steve Fitzmaurice (Glen Hansard, Sam Smith) and Rob Kirwan (Hozier, PJ Harvey), he then settled into a working relationship with Kiwi producer Dann Hume (Laura Mvula, Matt Corby) and decamped to work and record at his studio on Barry Island, Wales. A competent producer himself, Schub found in Hume a collaborator who “does everything that I do but better than me. The creative choices he makes are often what I like anyway. He’ll plug the guitar in and make it sound exactly the way I would want it to sound.”

Sebastian’s songwriting finds its inspiration within the Glen Hansards of the world (the beloved Irish troubadour who brought his no-nonsense songwriting to Broadway and the West End in the award-winning musical Once). Hansard’s honesty and realism captured Schub’s imagination from an early age, and it’s that honesty and realism that drives his own songcraft in the otherwise modern day.

It took Seb time and effort to find his lyrical voice, too. “English isn’t really my language and I didn’t speak it until I was 15,” he says, “so I wasn’t really thinking about lyrics much when I started.” He studied English Literature, giving him a greater grasp of the language’s nuances and power. “I read Jane Eyre four times – in English, in German, in English and then in English again, just to get it. It’s work that’s really paid off. It took a long time, but now I can really trust that I know how to talk and write now.”

Though he might only be crossing your radar very recently, Seb’s musical history is a rich and detailed one defined by hard graft. It’s shown on a debut EP packed with depth, heart, and ambition – the latest building block for a future star and one that’s been a long time coming.

Sting and Shaggy Reunite to Co-Headline ‘One Fine Day Festival’ With O.A.R., Marcia Griffiths, The Original Wailers, and More

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Sting and Shaggy will again reunite to host, curate and co-headline the One Fine Day Festival, a full day of eclectic music featuring a diverse artist lineup across two stages returning exclusively to The Mann in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, PA, on Saturday, September 6, 2025. The charity partner for this special event is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Headlining the main stage at TD Pavilion at The Mann, Sting and Shaggy, both managed by Martin Kierszenbaum/Cherrytree Music Company, will perform their biggest hits together, trading off and collaborating on ‘Every Breath You Take,’ ‘Englishman In New York,’ ‘Message In A Bottle,’ ‘It Wasn’t Me,’ ‘Boombastic,’ ‘Angel’ and others, including “Til A Mawnin,'” their latest collaborative single which debuted at #1 on the iTunes reggae songs chart.

“One Fine Day” will fill the air with uplifting spirit and energy along with additional musical performances including on the main stage at TD Pavilion at The Mann: O.A.R., Marcia Griffiths, and Chance Emerson; and on the Highmark Skyline Stage at The Mann: The Original Wailers featuring Al Anderson, Big Freedia, and SOPHIE GREY. all against the beautiful backdrop of Fairmount Park.

Reflecting on 2023’s ‘One Fine Day,’ Sting says, “the energy was unforgettable, and the connection with the crowd in Philadelphia was something truly special.” He continues, “Shaggy and I have an effortless creative chemistry-we’re always pushing each other into unexpected and exciting musical directions. We’re looking forward to returning to one of our favorite cities for another day of hits and musical adventure.”

“Sting is a constant spark for musical curiosity,” says Shaggy. “Every time we collaborate, it’s a fusion of our cultures, styles, and that shared sense of exploration. After the incredible vibes at the last ‘One Fine Day,’ we knew we had to bring it back. We’re excited to return to Philly and once again gather some of our favorite artists to celebrate music the way we love it-full of energy, soul, and surprises.”

The inaugural One Fine Day Festival was held at The Mann in September 2023 while this year’s lineup promises another unforgettable musical experience, featuring dynamic performances by indie rock/reggae jam band, O.A.R., the legendary reggae vibes of The Original Wailers featuring Al Anderson, and the iconic voice of Marcia Griffiths. Audiences will also be treated to the high-energy bounce of Big Freedia, the poignant songwriting and powerful voice of BMI John Lennon Award-winner Chance Emerson, and the fresh electronic pop of SOPHIE GREY. – a classical-musician-turned-modern-pop-queen who writes and produces all of her music. From reggae classics to indie soul and electrifying beats, this diverse roster offers something for every music lover.

Dave Lenahan Releases New Single “Baby I’m Gone” Ahead of Concept Album ‘Absalom’

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Dave Lenahan, a seasoned Nashville-based singer-songwriter with roots in Cleveland’s golden era of rock, continues to craft heartfelt narratives that blend his unique fusion of Cleveland rock and Americana. His new single, “Baby I’m Gone,” delivers a stirring vocal performance underscored by rich country instrumentation. It explores the strength it takes to leave a relationship where love is no longer enough. You can find the single out now on all digital streaming platforms.

With lyrics like, “You just don’t know what you got till it’s gone / Someday you’ll miss me when I get the strength to move on / But, I can be free from you here / It’ll just take a couple more beers / And, baby, I’m gone,” Lenahan captures the emotional complexity of walking away with honesty and vulnerability.

Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Lenahan was shaped by legendary artists such as Michael Stanley, Dan Fogelberg, and The Eagles. Beginning guitar at age 11 and sharpening his craft in church choirs and worship bands, he spent four decades in radio before dedicating himself fully to songwriting. As Cincinnati coordinator for the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), he has co-written hundreds of songs and shared stages with indie and Americana talents at venues like The Bluebird Cafe and The Listening Room.

His 2023 debut album, Or Something Like That…, introduced his warm, rootsy sound to a broader audience and set the stage for his upcoming concept album Absalom. His project is inspired by a forgotten 19th-century cemetery near his home, a site he helped uncover with the help of fellow songwriters and historical researchers. Songs like the haunting title track “Absalom” and “Father of Peace” have already earned Top 10 finalist honors in the World Songwriting Awards.

“Baby I’m Gone,” alongside tracks such as “Die On This Barstool,” “First,” and “Faces in the Glow,” was recorded with Grammy-winning producer Alan Sanderson (Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Fiona Apple, B.B. King, Counting Crows, Elvis Costello, Ziggy Marley, Ryan Adams, Weezer, and The Rolling Stones) in San Diego. The album features collaborations with acclaimed writers including Jessica Nixon, Taylin Rae, and Norm McDonald. Previously recorded by Chancey Williams, “Baby I’m Gone” has become a standout fan favorite and frequent show-closer for Lenahan.

With over 1 million Spotify streams, including the viral “Squirrel Train” by Pamela Hopkins (which reached #1 on Australia’s OZCMR chart), Lenahan’s impact extends beyond music. As host of The Songwriter Connection podcast, winner of the 2024 Elite Music Award for Podcast of the Year, he highlights rising and established songwriters with insight and humor.

Writing nearly 100 songs annually and performing over 100 shows each year, Dave Lenahan remains deeply committed to mentorship, community, and authentic storytelling. With Absalom on the horizon, he continues to push creative boundaries while honoring the heartfelt narratives that define his work.