The Writing 

My senior year of high school and the following year, which I took off, were an incredibly important time for me and my writing. During that time, my teachers, friends, and family started pushing me out of my comfort zone which allowed me to grow as person and a songwriter. I think it was during that period of growth that I really found my voice as a writer. A lot of the concepts for the songs on this album were developed in some of my classrooms. I had a tendency to write lyrics during class. Oh well. My philosophy was to write when I was inspired. Music comes first!  

"Crossin' the River" was inspired by a classmate in my German class doing a hilariously, unprepared presentation of a painting of Washington crossing the Delaware. "Under the Willow Tree" was an idea I had while reading "Othello" in my English class. There was a footnote about willow trees being a symbol of failed love, and I tried to give the lyrics a bit of a Shakespearean influence. "Watching the Waves" was written in my sociology class about people who can't handle change. "Last Autumn Leaf" was written during a boring period of study hall about people fighting the inevitable endings to all good things.  

Also during that time, I was in a relationship that taught me a lot about myself. It didn't work out, but a lot of the experiences developed into important life lessons and some of my favorite songs. I wrote "Backfire" about giving the wrong person way too many chances. "Between the Storms" is about enjoying the fun parts of the relationship between the parts that are annoying as hell. "It's Too Late" is about looking back on someone special and wishing you hadn't let them go. "Should've Kept My Distance" is about knowing that someone is wrong for you, but you get involved anyway. "Cautious Hearts" is simply about the fear of being vulnerable and getting your heart broken again. "Hold On Baby" was a song I wrote about being apart and waiting to be together again. Taking a year off after high school to write and being single left me feeling isolated a lot, which wasn't a bad thing. That's where the idea of being a lone wolf and needing to "Howl" came from. 

So after writing a majority of this album and noticing the abundance of nature related titles, I was looking for an album title to stay within the nature theme. I eventually thought of a force of nature, which is something that you just can't control. And that's exactly what life is to me. So much is out of your control and you just have to roll with it and enjoy it as much as you can!