Just a Thief

I often find myself torn between a love of abstract thematic art, and concrete yet thought-provoking storytelling. To me, the sweet spot is hit when a story can combine both elements, and with Just a Thief, that is what I strove to do.
I have always been moved by art. I know that sounds cheesy and cliché, but nevertheless it’s true. I wanted to create a story where the emotional aspect of art takes the spotlight, but I also always knew that I would be writing a very literal story. Hence, the story reflects a real-life idea that many of us experience. Within our own very literal, harshly real, and overly complicated lives, we find ourselves drawn to the ideas and concepts that art provokes in us, for one reason or another. We all have our own version of the painting; we all have something that has moved us to the point of blurred emotion by simply existing.
The dynamic of brothers takes center stage in the story. While my own relationship with my own brother is far from what is seen on the screen, I’m sure I wouldn’t have written the story this way without it. I am fascinated by the forced nature of brotherhood. Whether you are as close as can be, or never speak, you are bonded in a way that you can’t escape even if you want to. This creates the kind of natural conflict I find just ripe for storytelling. We see it in old Shakespearian tales, where brothers fight over the respect of their esteemed father. We see is in Freudian theory, where he claims that some form of conflict between two brothers and a parent is inevitable. We see it when we go to a neighbors house, and two boys wrestle on the floor over a broken remote, yelling to their mom and exchanging “he did it!”s and “nu-uh!”s. It’s a timeless concept. Brother’s have squabbled over the approval of parents since long before any of us were around. Even when the parent isn’t even there. Sometimes the “parent” isn’t a parent at all, but a concept. An idea. Something abstract. Maybe, it’s just a painting.
But we throw our emotions onto everything. And as long as it moves us, it’s not just a painting.