Some things come out better as a song.

I can spend a day working through technical problems, helping a team make a decision, or teaching someone something new. But finding words for what’s happening inside me can be a different kind of work. Music gives me somewhere to start.

Sometimes I’m trying to understand a feeling. Sometimes I want to say something to someone I love. Sometimes I just have an idea that sounds fun, and I want to see where it goes. All of those reasons belong here.

A little room to breathe

In my personal writing, I’ve called some of this “survival music.” Writing helps me slow down, put a feeling into words, and figure out what I need to do with it. A song gives me something I can return to when I need that reminder again.

I’m drawn to songs that can tell the truth about a hard day and still leave room for hope. I don’t need every line to have a neat answer. Sometimes the honest thing is a question, a prayer, or an admission that I’m still figuring it out.

That’s part of what I want to make: something you can listen to and feel understood. If a song helps someone take a breath and keep going, that matters to me.

Serenim: the letters behind the name

Serenim is an anagram of Men Rise. Rearrange the letters, and the meaning is right there.

That idea fits the music I want to share: finding the courage to get back up, being honest about what’s hard, and continuing to grow. There’s strength in taking responsibility, asking for help, and showing up for the people who need you.

Serenim gives this part of my life a name. It’s the creative project I use to share songs shaped by my words, experiences, imagination, and the things I believe are worth holding onto.

For the people I love

My family is a big part of why I write. I want Shayla and our children to have more than a record of where I worked or what I accomplished. I want them to hear what mattered to me. How much I loved them. What I hoped for them. What I was learning along the way.

“Same team” is something I come back to. It’s a reminder to listen, apologize, and find our way back to each other. A song can hold onto that thought when an ordinary conversation has already moved on.

I also think about the future. One day my children may hear a song differently than they do now. A line about courage or love might mean more after they’ve lived a little. I like the thought of leaving them something they can come back to.

Faith, questions, and hope

My faith in Jesus Christ is part of the way I see the world, so it naturally finds its way into my writing. Sometimes that means a song about belief or gratitude. Sometimes it means bringing a question to God before I know how to answer it myself.

I don’t think I have to make everything sound resolved before I can write about it. There’s room for uncertainty, for trying again, and for the hope that growth is still possible.

That same hope matters to me as a husband, dad, teacher, and leader. People deserve patience and a chance to grow. I need those things too.

There’s room for fun, too

I don’t want every song to carry the weight of the world. I enjoy stories, imaginative worlds, humor, and trying something just because it might be fun. A seasonal song, a playful idea, or a different sound can be reason enough to create.

I write across genres because different ideas need different kinds of energy. I’m interested in finding a sound that fits what I’m trying to say, and in leaving myself room to be surprised.

How I bring the songs to life

I write lyrics and use AI music tools to explore sound and arrangement and help turn those words into recordings. My part is the writing, the ideas, and the creative choices that shape what I share. The recordings use AI-assisted performances; I’m not presenting them as me singing or playing every instrument.

That distinction matters to me. I can be proud of the words and honest about the tools at the same time. Technology gives me a way to hear an idea take shape, revise it, and keep working until the recording feels connected to what I meant.

A way to know me

If you know me mostly through work, this is another part of who I am. I care about building useful things and helping people succeed. I also care about stories, imagination, faith, family, and having somewhere to put a feeling that won’t leave me alone.

You don’t have to connect with every song. But if one makes you feel understood, reminds you of someone you love, or gives us something to talk about, I’m glad it found you.

Listen to Serenim ↗