My Interpretation of “Trees” by Twenty One Pilots

A writer can write something with a certain theme, idea, or message in mind, and yet ten individuals can listen to or read that something and each of them will be impacted in a different way. Different people, depending on their own perspectives or walks of life will take something away that was totally different from the writer’s intention.

People may argue that writing a song with a specific message or theme that can have multiple potential perspectives is achieving the height of the art. I think that success comes from delivering a message in a song or story that everyone who reads or hears it not only identifies the writer’s intentional theme, but also notices other ideas and messages that they take away form it based on their personalities, current life situations, perspectives, etc. And I think that that is achieving the highest point of success when writing anything. I want to impact others with the message I weave into my story or song, and yet I want listeners or readers to take other things away from it that I didn’t put there that inspires or encourages them or causes them to think about things I never even thought of associating with the thing I wrote.

Psychology, People, and Personalities in Writing

Psychology has always been a fascinating subject of study and scrutiny for me. Only last week I identified the source of frustration I constantly felt about people: I just want to understand them. What goes in each of their little minds that causes them to do, say, act, feel? What thoughts and emotions and beliefs make them stand for something, hold a particular perspective, feel a certain way? What is it like in your funny little brains?

Of course, the answers to these questions have to do with other things besides psychology. In fact, a person’s psychology is shaped and built on that human’s early life, their childhood, the parents that raised him/her. And history and life circumstances impact a person’s psychology even more than we think.

“Make Good Art” – An Inspirational Speech by Neil Gaiman

I won a runner-up in an Instructables contest (which was called “Spectacular Failures,” so no wonder) for an attempt at carving a Harry Potter pumpkin. I was such a wonderfully horrible carver that the pumpkin looked like it was melting from within and the words “Harry Potter” barely noticeable, and so I received a prize: a book called “Make Good Art” by a guy named Neil Gaiman. At first I just shrugged and thought it was just a sarcastic joke, but I opened it up and encountered some of the best inspiration I’ve ever slammed eyes on.

A Strong Theme: Your Story Has One

Writers can express what they believe through words. Words have the power to encourage, inspire, give hope, change someone’s mind, make people think again about themselves, other people, the world, the meaning of life. Words have power to make the world beautiful, and if we use those words right, we can.