Last Christmas my boyfriend and I took a road trip all around the UK. I would like to say it was leisure but it was mainly to visit his family. We packed up two suitcases and drove nearly 800 miles within a short 10 days.
Heading up from London to North Wales, Newcastle, Scotland, and then making the trip back to London, the journey was exhausting.
We stayed no more than 1-2 days at each location visiting family before setting off for another full day of driving.
And yet, there was something quite romantic about spending so much time with each other, holding hands as my boyfriend drove and listening to British native, Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.”
When your legs don’t work like they used to before
Ed Sheeran, Lyrices to “Thinking Out Loud”
And I can’t sweep you off of your feet
Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love
Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks
And darling I will be loving you ’til we’re 70
And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23
And I’m thinking ’bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways
Maybe just the touch of a hand
Oh me I fall in love with you every single day
And I just wanna tell you I am
In this simple ballad, Ed Sheeran nailed the tough and inevitable reality that we all have to face. Aging is not a particularly beautiful sight. It is littered with arthritis, wrinkles, back and neck pain, diabetes, and loss of mobility.
But there is a real beauty of having someone willing grow old with you — for them to choose day in and day out to take care of you as you age and for you to do the same. I sincerely hope that I will have the same in my old age and for everyone I know to also find companionship in their lives.
This is part of the genius of Ed Sheeran. He can convey very deep emotions simply and powerfully. Rawness, vulnerability, and tenderness resonate in almost all of his ballads.
His music has been so influential in changing the landscape of wedding playlists or the background of a newlywed’s first dance that I think it is essential to learn more about his own story.
So that’s why I’ve decided to dedicate today’s blog to Ed Sheeran. We’ll take a deeper look into Ed’s musical journey and explore the stories he should share if he were to write a scholarship essay.
This blog will also include some key tips on how you can write a killer scholarship essay as well. So let’s get started!
DISCLAIMER: I based the majority of this hypothetical scholarship on research I conducted on Ed Sheeran’s life. But since I wasn’t able to directly interview Ed Sheeran (maybe one day I will though!), I don’t know how accurate everything is.
So take everything for a grain of salt! I am only writing this for educational purposes.
Scholarship Prompt
Consider your favorite books, movies, works of art, etc. How have they influenced your life in a meaningful way?
Suggested Essay Outline
Before I dive in to share my tips on how to write this scholarship essay, I would advise Ed Sheeran (and anyone else with an interesting story to share) to use this outline to structure your essay.
I don’t have enough time to go through each section individually to explain how you should write them, but this outline should help guide you through the writing process.
| Paragraph 1: Bomb Introduction 1. Introduces your favorite book, movie, or work of art 2. Grabs your reader’s attention 3. Gives your audience a sneak peek into your own life 4. Set up the essay so the reader knows what the rest of the essay is going to be about |
| Paragraph 2: How did it influence your life? -How did your favorite art/music/movie/book influence your life? -Write about how it has changed the way you think and/or empower you to do something in your life that you probably wouldn’t have otherwise. |
| Paragraph 3: What did you gain from your favorite art/music/book? Highlight some of the memorable things that you have gained because of your love for your favorite movie/book/music/work or art. -Did it inspire you to become a better person? -Did it open up your eyes to a different world? -Did it motivate you to pursue dreams that you never thought were possible? |
| Paragraph 4: What are your hopes for the future? Your favorite movie/book/music/work or art made a profound impact on your life, now how are you going to make a similar impact on other people’s lives? |
It happens to be the best of us. Whether it’s Ed Sheeran or you, most of us are deeply passionate about something in our lives. And once we get started, it’s really hard to stop.
If the conversation is about your favorite song, you may be tempted to explain how that song accompanied you through difficult times and heartache.
If it’s about your favorite movie, you’ll probably be excited to reenact your favorite scenes or share your favorite movie quotes. This is true for your favorite book, work of art, sport, hobby, etc.
But there is just one problem. A scholarship essay just doesn’t give you enough space to share all your stories about your favorite thing.
With an average word limit of 500-750 words, words are extremely expensive real estate in the world of scholarship essays. So only use the ones that you really need!
To help you save space and to make sure that your essay starts in an exciting way, I would advise both you and Ed Sheeran to start your essay with a paragraph that is literally the granddaddy of all multi-tasking paragraphs.
Yes, you heard me right. Not only will your first paragraph introduce your favorite book/song/movie, but it will also grab your reader’s attention from the get-go while giving them a sneak peek into your life.
It will also help set up your essay so that the reader knows exactly what this entire essay will be about.
The Granddaddy of All Intro Paragraphs
- Introduces your favorite book, movie, or work of art
- Grabs your reader’s attention
- Gives your audience a sneak peek into your own life
- Set up the essay so the reader gets an idea of what the rest of the essay is going to be about
In Ed Sheeran’s case, I think it would be amazing for him to write about his early obsession with Damien Rice‘s music. For those of you that don’t know, Ed Sheeran was what he referred to as a “proper fan.”
He collected every single one of Damien Rice’s CDs including knock-off ones on E-Bay and would wait in line for hours in order to try to get front-row seats at a performance.
So if Ed was going to write a scholarship essay about these CDs, he can start the essay like this:
| Locked away in a shoebox, cushioned by my old clothes, and nestled in a closet in my hometown is my most prized possessions: a full collection of every single one of Damien Rice’s CDs, including my favorite one, his “O” Album. Over a decade old, this assortment of CDs is still in pristine condition and is the single, greatest work of art that has changed the course of my entire life. |
After you started your essay out with a boom, spend the next part of your essay explaining how your favorite art/music/movie/book has influenced your life.
But don’t just write about how something made you feel, write about how it has changed the way you think and/or empowered you to do something in your life that you probably wouldn’t have otherwise.
For Ed Sheeran, his admiration for Damien Rice was one of the key things that jumpstarted his music career. At 11 or 12 years old, Ed Sheeran managed to secure tickets to one of Damien Rice’s live concerts and had the chance to meet him after the performance.
Not only did Ed Sheeran get to take a selfie with Damien Rice, but he also got an autograph. The experience was so special to Ed that it inspired him to start writing music that same night.
| I have been a “proper fan” of Damien Rice’s music for as long as I can remember. I collected every single one of his CDs including knock-off ones on E-bay and would wait in line for hours in order to buy front-row seats at a performance. My deep admiration for him culminated one eventful night when I had the chance to meet him at one of his small concerts in Dublin. No older than 11 or 12 years old, I handed him my copy of his “O” Album and requested an autograph. Not only did he happily sign my CD, but he also took a selfie with me. Wide-eyed and star-struck, I paid close attention to how he performed that night. Just watching him play his acoustic guitar inspired me to imagine how I would look like if I played a guitar. I could see myself playing songs too and singing and writing with a similar flavor. When I went home, I wrote the first 6 songs of my life. That night changed the entire trajectory of my life. Had it not been for that experience, I would never have developed the courage to go all the way to LA to pursue my biggest dreams even though I was just a “chubby, ginger, white kid from the UK.” |
In the final section of the scholarship essay, I would encourage you to highlight some of the memorable things that you have gained because of your love for your favorite movie/book/music/work of art.
Did it inspire you to become a better person? Did it open up your eyes to a different world? Did it motivate you to pursue dreams that you never thought would be possible?
After that, you should finish off the essay by sharing some of your hopes for the future and explaining the type of legacy you will like to leave behind. You can also think of this way.
Your favorite movie/book/music/work of art made a profound impact on your life, now how are you going to make a similar impact on other people’s lives?
Here is an example of how Ed Sheeran can finish off the essay.
| Years later, I became the very first record artist to have two songs debut in the US top 10 Charts all within the same week. In 2017, I also became the world’s best-selling artist and was named the Global Recording Artist of the Year. But even with all the fame and stardom, I still regularly think back about my stash of Damien Rice CDs that still reside in the closet in my family home, especially my most prized “O” Album still bearing Damien Rice’s original autograph. This collection of CDs represents not only my greatest passions, but my dreams, my youth, and a lesson that Damien Rice taught me. If it only took 10 minutes of Damien’s time to make a fan’s day and change the course of their life, then I have to make it my duty to do the same every time I meet a dedicated fan. You just never know what the impact of that can be. |
That’s it for today!
And let me say this. Thank goodness Ed Sheeran met a role model that inspired him to write music! Otherwise we would have all lost out on the beautiful music that he would have written.
I hope this blog was useful to you and hope that you can find someone that inspires you too in the same way that Damien Rice inspired Ed Sheeran!
Also, make sure you leave me a comment about the next celebrity you’ll like me to write about.
Cheers!
