Twenty One Pilots: "The Biggest Smallest Band"

        Hailing from Columbus, OH, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun make up the Grammy-Award winning alt rock band, Twenty One Pilots. Their music has had a significant influence on the industry since their inception, with many of their songs being consistently played on popular radio—notably, "Stressed Out", "Ride", "The Craving", "Shy Away", and "Heathens"—and over 27 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The collective also has multiple RIAA Diamond certifications, making them one of only 18 artists to achieve this accomplishment.

        Within many of their creative products, Twenty One Pilots employ the dichotomy of faith and doubt, similar to those explained by Csikszentmihalyi. Their personalities permeate their music as both have identified themselves as socially anxious and afraid. Especially for Josh, as the drummer, he embraces that part of himself by channelling his emotion and expression into the artistry he creates on the drum kit. Tyler articulates this process well, saying that they "found something that [they] loved that gave [them] direction"(FaceCulture 2019). Instead of letting their anxiety fill them with doubt, they put their faith in their music and creativity. Their songs often reflect this journey, with their lyrics of duality that may seem like they mean one thing, but they actually mean (1) something else entirely or (2) both at the same time. 

        Tyler, in an interview, speaks about being 'addicted' to creating original products, and Josh speaks about a similar 'addiction' in the versatility of creation. This complete dedication to their craft is reminiscent of Jennifer Doudna's early life. Feeling like an outsider, Doudna engrossed herself in curiosity and exploration as a defense mechanism initially (Isaacson 4-5), and she consistently falls into this creative commitment for the rest of her accomplished life in science. 

        Twenty One Pilots, simultaneously, works in stark contrast to the creative processes exhibited in Code Breaker. Isaacson emphasizes how essential collaboration was in the gene editing race, especially in Doudna's process. The scientists were constantly building off of each others' research—an eventual point of contention—to create a technology with a scope bigger than themselves. However, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun often create in isolation (Nattress 2021). This method helps Tyler, specifically, to be more vulnerable and take complete authority and accountability over his creation. He can look deeper into himself and tell powerful stories when he has the opportunity to take himself as he is, and as he is alone.