Imagine writing songs instead of writing essays about books and using lyrics to create something powerful.

Senior Joe Piotrowski has been writing songs since was 12, but he didn’t start sharing his songs until he was 15.

“None of the songs [at the start] were good, but it was something,” Piotrowski said.

Since then, he has written too many to count.

“I just write songs for months and months and months, and then go and pick out what I feel have the most potential,” Piotrowski said. “I would say definitely say [I’ve written] in the upwards of 200-300’s.”

Piotrowski has been a huge fan of music for a long time. His passion and love for music is what got him into songwriting.

“Being such a fan of so much music for so long and learning to play so many instruments, I started learning to play so many instruments,” Piotrowski said. “I started to get so many ideas for songs of my own. Creating something from nothing has always really captivated me, so knowing that I made a song that didn’t exist the day before is really meaningful to me.”

Although he loves it and seems like a pro, Piotrowski says he is still not a natural song writer, and it takes some practice.

“I wrote a lot of bad songs in the beginning,” Piotrowski said. “I think of it as a water tap. If you shut it off for a while, a lot of dirty, gross water is going to come out at first, but the more and more you let it run, the cleaner the water is going to be.”

Piotrowski’s “water tap” has been running for a while, and he continues to work on his music and make it better. He is a fan of a lot of different genres, artists, and bands which is where he gets some of his inspiration from.

“[An idea] can come from anywhere,” Piotrowski said. “Playing around at a piano, hearing a line from a movie or even just having a conversation. I’ve even gotten ideas for song titles before writing anything and worked from there.”

Once an idea is formed, Piotrowski has to work through writing it and conveying the emotions he is feeling.

“If I am writing a sadder song, I’ve definitely found myself getting worked up before,” Piotrowski said. “But, it can also work the other way. I can really empower myself by writing a good song.”

When writing, he likes to leave the meanings and stories behind his songs open-ended, allowing the listener to truly decide what the song means to them and allowing Piotrowski to connect more with his listeners.

“I love writing songs where I don’t specifically say what I’m talking about,” Piotrowski said. “I know what the song means but I like leaving it up to the listener to develop their own meaning.”

Out of all the songs Piotrowski has written, he says one of his favorites is “Lavender” from his second album, “Cinematic Timeline.”

“[Lavender] was the first time I have spoken on social issues in my music,” Piotrowski said. “As a big supporter and ally of the LGBTQ+ community and seeing that a majority of my fan vase was involved, I felt like it was important to kind of lend out a helping hand and sort of speak on the second verse and let people know they have someone on their side.”