Be yourself! Love your mom, but if she's trying to get you to be someone you're not, she's in the wrong
I don't want to be George Lucas and go back after the fact.
When you make art, you get really invested in it. When art happens by accident and you were just along for the ride? It's way more fun.
Lyrically, I personally lean towards venting.
I think writing is a much more personal thing.
In Fall Out Boy, I noticed that I wasn't putting all that much soul into it. It was just kind of screaming, I guess. I was just dying to get out of there!