In the year 2022, I abandon the well-trodden, sun-infused sprawl of Southern California for an old world fishing village on Central America's rich coast, a choice that, if viewed superficially, might've been deemed counterintuitive. Yet for an artist yearning to expand his horizons, this shift was less geographical and more akin to a Kafkaesque metamorphosis - a plunge into uncharted territories of creative exploration and self-discovery.

From August to November, the terrestrial rainy season, I found solace and inspiration in the verdant seclusion of the equatorial jungle. The simplicity of a humble apartment-turned-studio harmonized with the stripped-down ethos of the wilderness. The daily routine became a symphony of creativity and exploration - writing, recording, reading, and plunging headlong into the local cultural maelstrom and natural majesty.

The distinctive, underpowered thrum of an aging motorcycle morphed into a freedom anthem, reverberating through the jungle's dense foliage and vast expanses. The constraints imposed by what could be smuggled aboard a single flight from L.A. morphed into an unexpected catalyst for artistic innovation. This simplicity, bare-bones yet liberating, fostered an environment where creativity could bloom, unencumbered by a surfeit of options and diversions. The songs that emerged appeared to be born less from the instruments themselves and more from the vivacity of the environment, materializing as if summoned from the ether.

Evenings were spent beneath the celestial tapestry of the uninterrupted night sky, the Milky Way's lucidity a poignant reminder of the cosmic implications of the self imposed mission. The stars, untarnished by artificial light, seemed to emphasize the transformative impact of the endeavor in a world far removed from the familiar.

But the journey was not without its tribulations. Torrents of doubt, apprehensive and unnerving, intermittently haunted me, the jungle's solitude occasionally assuming burdensome psychological weight. Yet these periods were also crucibles of growth, punctuated by peaks of creative euphoria, the geniality and companionship of the locals, and the awe-inspiring beauty unveiled through spontaneous adventures. Each hurdle surmounted, each song sculpted, stood as a testament to resilience and the transformative potency of embracing life's finite and unpredictable rhythm.

Ultimately, "Heart of Mine," the resultant album, for me is more than a mere compilation of songs. It was an auditory chronicle of a journey replete with adventure, heartache, romance witnessed, solitude, personal triumph and self-discovery, set against the backdrop of a bygone world thats been slow to change yet swift to remind one of the miracle of existence.