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14. Taylor Swift: From Blank Space To Mastermind (Part 1)
Episode 14 • 15th November 2023 • Making Artists • Nancy Sun
00:00:00 01:00:20

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It’s time we talk about Taylor Swift and what we can learn from both her success and impact that she has made. In this episode I'm going to talk about how Taylor Swift identifies as an artist, makes art, shares it, Sells it to make a fuck ton of money and makes an impact.

Her art, in itself, is sufficient to make an impact. Her music creates connection, empathy, self compassion, catharsis, and community. And her success makes her a role model for other singer songwriters.

After this episode of Making Artists, I hope that her success makes her a role model for you too.

There are only three steps that you need to take in order to become a creative success. I reference these in another episode 3 Steps To Creative Succe$$, but I’ll summarize the 3 steps here: 

  • Make Your Art
  • Share Your Art 
  • Ask For What Your Art Needs

 And Taylor Swift has mastered these three steps. In this episode we dive into Part 1, how she has mastered making her art. Taylor Swift makes a great case study for this episode, and how she offers so many lessons on how to be a successful, professional, and impactful artist who makes art.

My hope for you is that you will put any objections you have about learning from her success, as her journey is a great teacher for all of us who want to make art and make an impact. Make sure you join me for Part 2! 

Link to 3 Steps To Creative Suce$$ referenced in this episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/3-steps-to-creative-succe%24%24/id1644954213?i=1000587895931

Work and Connect With Me Here:


Music credit: Positive Experience by Sunny Tones

A Podcast Launch Bestie production


Transcripts

Speaker:

Hey Artists!

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Welcome to the first episode

of the:

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And I am starting with a special treat.

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An episode or episodes all about

things artist related to Taylor Swift.

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Yes, I am talking about

mother and mother mothering.

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After all, tis the damn season.

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And, for the few of you who don't

know who Taylor Swift is and why

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we are talking about Taylor Swift,

let me just give you a little bio.

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She is a 33 year old American

singer songwriter with 10 albums

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who started on country radio, but

whose sound now includes pop, indie,

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or alt rock, and some of her tracks

even have a hip hop influence.

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She is most recently known for re

recording her first six albums when

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the label she recorded the original

masters with, Big Machine Records,

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sold them to a venture capital firm

instead of to her against her wishes.

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Now, you can find these re records

on music streaming services and for

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sale with, in parentheses, Taylor's

version, aka TV for short, at the end.

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And depending on when you listen to

this podcast, Taylor Swift is currently

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on The Eras Tour, which celebrates

each album as an era in her oeuvre.

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And this is a treat for us because

I am not here to gossip about

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Taylor's personal life or her public

persona, which, if we did, some of

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you might also consider a treat.

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Instead, I'm going to talk about how

Taylor Swift identifies as an artist,

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makes art, shares it, Sells it to make

a fuck ton of money and makes an impact.

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So, what is a fuck ton of money?

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For those who don't know, by the end

of October:

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billionaires list and is valued at 1.

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1 billion.

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She is the first musician to join these

ranks based on the sales of her albums,

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songs, specials, and performances alone.

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That means she doesn't have any

income streams yet beyond her

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art and art adjacent mediums and

activities like tour swag, etc.

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She currently has no startup

investments, no alcohol, health, skin

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care, or beauty lines, and not that

there'd necessarily be anything wrong

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if she did make income from that.

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But I want to highlight that it is

possible to become a billionaire

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exclusively from making your art.

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Because we have an example

of one person who did it.

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Her most recent The Heiress tour has

also made at least 780 million so far.

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And it's not over.

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Her concert film Of the same name,

currently still in theaters, has

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also made 150 million domestically

and 200 million globally.

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It's currently the second highest

grossing concert film release

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after Michael Jackson's This Is It.

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And Taylor Swift uses her status

and platform as a globally

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famous artist to make an impact.

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First of all, just listeners,

like me, see themselves in her

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songs and lyrics and feel seen.

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I don't want to dismiss or minimize that.

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Her art, in itself, is

sufficient to make an impact.

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Her music creates connection.

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It creates...

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Empathy, self compassion,

catharsis, and community.

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And her success makes her a role

model for other singer songwriters.

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And after this episode of Making

Artists, I hope that her success

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makes her a role model for you too.

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She also amplifies the work of

other artists, having Paramore,

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Haim, Sabrina Carpenter, Phoebe

Bridgers, Gracie Abrams, etc.

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opening acts, inviting Marcus

Mumford of Mumford Sons, Erin

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Dessner of The Nationals, and

Ice Spice as her surprise guests.

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This is not an exhaustive list.

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And she also gives other artists work.

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She employs choreographers,

dancers, crew, and In the U.

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S., she insures them, and she's even

given them a residual income stream

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through the Eris Tor concert film

and a SAG AFTRA interim agreement.

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She gave 55 million in bonuses so

far to everyone working on her tour,

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including most notably to the long haul

drivers responsible for making sure

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her equipment gets everywhere safely.

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Now beyond just the business and artistry

of being Taylor Swift, she has also

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gotten 65, 000 US citizens registered to

via her social media post in:

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given to food banks on every stop of

her domestic tour, donated to the NAACP

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Legal Defense Fund, Black Lives Matter,

Advocated for women's rights, reproductive

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rights, and LGBTQIA plus rights.

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And artist.

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This is not an exhaustive list of her

personal and professional achievements.

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I am highlighting these simply to open up

what you think is possible not only for

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you, but for the world when you succeed.

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As an artist before working with

me, a lot of my clients don't

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pursue making art full-time.

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or as a profession because they think

that making art is frivolous, making

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art is selfish, and trying to get other

people to buy your art only benefits

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one person, you, the selfish artist.

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And your success will be at the expense

of all the ways you could have and should

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have been contributing to society instead.

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So Taylor Swift and her impact

On listeners, but also on people

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creatively, professionally, politically,

and philanthropically tells us that

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this story doesn't have to be true.

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A win for your success as an

artist can also be a win for all

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the causes you support and a win

for your vision of the world.

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Fun fact, I have set up

my coaching practice.

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To be the same way.

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To be a win win win.

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When an artist decides to coach with me,

they obviously are investing in their

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own success, which is win number one.

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And they're also investing in my success

as a coach, fellow artist, and human.

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That's win number two.

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And because they are giving money

to a business run by a queer first

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generation woman of color, they're

also investing in a more diverse,

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inclusive, and equitable world.

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Win number three.

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And, to drive this win win win home,

three fourths of the businesses my

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coaching practice spends money on

are also not men owned, and one third

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are also owned by people of color.

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I share this so you know exactly

what world you are creating.

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when you choose to work with me.

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And also, so you know you don't

need to have achieved a Taylor

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Swift level of success in order

to be an artist making an impact.

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You can just pull inspiration from her

right now and apply it to your life.

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Right now, just as I have.

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Now, I've given you a lot of receipts

for why Taylor Swift makes a great

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case study for this episode, and how

she offers so many lessons on how

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to be a successful, professional,

and impactful artist who makes art.

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But, you might still have some resistance.

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When I shared with non Swifties I was

recording this, so Swifties is slang for

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Swift fans, so non Swifties are not Swift

fans, I was met with two objections.

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Objection number one, isn't all

her music about her love life and

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isn't it gross that she's just

capitalizing on her famous exes?

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That's not the kind of art I

like or the art I want to make.

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To which I say, great!

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You decided you are not the

intended audience for her music.

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Even though, of course, I would argue

that she has something for everyone.

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You don't need to be in her listener

demographic in order to benefit from her

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best practices on the artist's journey.

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From coaching artists over a thousand

hours, I stopped counting after

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that, I learned that while everyone's

journey is unique to them, there are

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some common blocks we all have and

common solutions to overcome them.

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Just because we're all

steeped in the same zeitgeist.

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So in this episode, I really encourage

you to not throw out the baby with

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the bathwater by not giving yourself

access to these best practices,

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simply because I've chosen Taytay

as the example and Messenger.

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Just take what you need

and circle the rest.

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in disappearing ink.

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As for objection number two, it's some

form of, wasn't her dad like really really

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rich and didn't he like literally invest

in the first record label that signed her?

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To which my response is, Yes, he did.

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Or at least the internet says it's true.

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And what this objection wants me to

acknowledge is that Taylor Swift has

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some privileges that gave her unearned

advantages in life and the music industry.

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And I agree.

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I acknowledge these privileges.

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She has pretty privilege.

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She is white.

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She is cisgender and heteropassing.

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She is a U.

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S.

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citizen.

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She was born to an educated

upper middle class family.

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But artists, with love, you

and I have some privileges too.

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If you are listening to this,

in the year of Beyoncé,:

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you have access to the internet.

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Likely from a smartphone.

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You are able to hear.

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You understand the English language.

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And according to the demographics of

people who listen to podcasts, 85 percent

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of you have attended or are in college.

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84 percent of you are young.

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under the age of 55

and have age privilege.

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55 percent of you have male privilege.

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51 percent of you have a full time job.

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And you are 1 third more likely

to be currently making 75, 000

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or more than the average U.

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S.

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person.

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In fact, 1 in 5 of you

make at least 100, 000.

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So, while it's easy to scrutinize

Taylor Swift's privilege, I

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say this with the utmost love.

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How are you acknowledging and using

your own privilege, even when you

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may also have unearned disadvantages?

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I mean, hey, Taylor was born female.

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Taylor Swift doesn't

have a college degree.

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Well, until NYU gave her

an honorary doctorate.

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And what are you using your

privilege in service of?

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Or how are you allowing

others to use their privilege?

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As a parent, I don't begrudge Taylor

Swift's parents, Scott and Andrea,

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for investing in their child's dreams.

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Even when other moms and dads and humans

have opinions about this parenting

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decision, And overall, might catch some

feelings about it, including jealousy.

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So, yes, while Taylor Swift's dad

invested 120k early in an equity stake

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in Big Machine Records when she signed

with them as a teenager, I'm just gonna

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ask you, do you let people support

your art abundantly and however they

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can, including with their dollars?

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To be honest, I was going to hold

off on dropping this particular

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lesson, but hey, we're here now,

so I might as well do my dragging.

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Even if they don't have 120K to give, do

you allow others to give whatever they

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want to and can to support your dream?

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I say this because I see too many

artists who are not able to receive,

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including and especially financially.

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I know actors who don't count

direct offers or bookings.

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When it comes from their

playwright, screenwriter,

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director, or producer friends.

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I know copywriters who don't feel

like they know how to get gigs or

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don't deserve credit for them because

they all came from their network.

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And I know visual artists who

don't follow up when a friend

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or family member says, Ooh.

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I want that painting,

and maybe even how much.

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Now, I don't know what

happened behind closed doors.

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I don't know if Taylor Swift argued

with her parents, or if she said,

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No, I want to pull myself up by my

own bootstraps and do this on my own.

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I don't know if she felt

embarrassed by her dad, but

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ultimately, she let people help her.

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And not anyone.

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She let friends and family help her.

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She let her friends and her family

help her with her artistic career.

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Do you let?

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Let your inner circle help you with yours,

especially when it comes to their wallet.

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So I guess here we are already with

our first lesson in just sharing

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this objection, which is let your

friends and family and whoever

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else buy What you're selling.

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Let them invest in you

and invest in your future.

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Because who knows, maybe this is a

part of their vision of themselves.

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Perhaps connoisseurs,

advocates of the arts.

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Or the vision that they

have for the world.

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Okay, so how I originally envisioned

introducing these lessons to you

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was, um, in three different chapters.

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And these chapters align with the steps

I believe artists must take in order to

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become a creative success and a career.

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So first I want to direct you to

an episode from last season that

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might help you understand the

framework for this episode, and

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that is steps to creative success.

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The link will be available in the show

notes, but just as a brief recap, I

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offer for my experience as an actor

and writer who has made money from this

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skill and craft, and also as a coach who

have supported creatives having their

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own businesses and making money with

their art, that really there are only

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three steps that you need to take in

order to make art making your career.

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And those three steps are make

your art, share your art and ask

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others for what your art needs.

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I'm going to say it again.

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The only three steps you need

to become a creative success.

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are make your art, share your art, and

ask others for what your art needs.

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And Taylor Swift has

mastered these three steps.

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I say this not knowing...

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actually how Taylor Swift views herself.

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I don't know if she considers

herself a success as an artist.

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I don't know if she is satisfied,

creatively fulfilled, financially

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fulfilled, uh, happy with the impact

that she is making on the world.

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And the first lesson is,

you can be an artist.

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and still have doubt.

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You are allowed to feel the feeling

of doubt and still be an artist.

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I think about how in the Miss

Americana documentary, she had a lot

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of reservations about whether or not

She would be able to continue being the

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kind of artist that she wanted to be.

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At some point in this documentary,

she said, This is probably one of

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my last opportunities as an artist

to grasp onto that kind of success.

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So, as I'm reaching 30, I want to

work really hard while society is

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still tolerating me being successful.

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And we look at this particular

moment in time and we laugh.

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Because this is the version of

Taylor before her 780 million dollar

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world tour that is still in process.

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And before all of her re records have

been successfully, uh, bought by her fans.

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And before she has been launched

into her billionaire status.

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She had the doubt as to whether

or not, at this age of 33, society

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would still buy what she's selling.

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Thank And we now know from that moment,

she still forged ahead, made, I want

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to say three or four new albums in

addition to all these re records, and

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took the steps to share this art and

ask people, Hey, do you want to buy?

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Do you want to watch me perform?

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Etc.

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So this lesson is allow space for doubt.

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Doubting does not mean

you won't be successful.

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This is a lesson that I teach

and remind my clients of.

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All the time, whenever we as humans feel

uncomfortable, physical sensations or

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emotions, such as doubt, we often start

to think about what it could possibly

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mean and doom spiral into thinking

This must mean something bad about me.

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When really, it's just a normal

part of the artist's journey,

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and even simply being a human.

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To offer a personal example, all of the

auditions that I book, I did not leave the

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room 100 percent confident that I booked

them, or I did not not experience doubt

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for the entire duration of the audition.

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I think about one role

that I really wanted.

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It was a lead role in a world

premiere play at Humana Festival.

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And Humana Festival is no longer

a play festival that is still in

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production, but at the time it...

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It was considered the Sundance

of independent regional theater.

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And during the callback for

this particular opportunity,

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I experienced a lot of doubt.

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I experienced doubt because Even

though I had planned, as always, to

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be 15 minutes early to the audition,

I think I was 15 or more minutes late.

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It was severe enough that I

remember emailing casting while my

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train was stuck in a tunnel to let

them know that I would be behind.

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And I thought spiraled and I

thought this must be a sign that

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this role was not meant for me.

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I got experienced doubt.

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Then in the actual audition,

the audition was, two sides.

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One of which was a scene, and

the entire scene is a monologue.

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It's just me talking.

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And when we get to this scene,

where, whereas I nailed it in my

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initial audition, this time I fumble.

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I mix up the words, I lose my sense of

pace and rhythm, and I have to stop.

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The audition, and ask if I can start

the whole thing over, and in that

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moment, again, negative feelings, doubt,

uncertainty, shame, embarrassment,

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wondering, ugh, is this the end of my

career as a theater actress, perhaps

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before it has even begun, just to give you

a sense of my brain, also human, just like

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you and many of my coaching clients, and

in the end, Spoiler alert, I booked it.

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So me experiencing moments of doubt

before my audition, and in my audition,

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and even having created some evidence for

why somebody would not want me, right?

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I am not punctual, even though I text

and email to let people know in advance

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when I am late, and I fumble the bag

and appear as if I am, cannot, repeat

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what I did in my first audition, or

can't be off book in an essential scene

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where I am the only character, right?

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So I experienced doubt, and I also

was afraid that the people who

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were casting would catch my doubt.

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And ultimately, experiencing

doubt does not preclude you

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from being a successful artist.

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In fact, I want you to consider That

your capacity for doubt is actually

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what will enable you to take greater

risks, produce more failures so that

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you can experience greater success.

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There's a quote that says something

to the effect of an expert is somebody

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who's experienced the greatest

number of failures in a narrow field.

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I got the quote wrong, but I think

you understand the spirit of that

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particular statement, and I want

to offer that is true for you too.

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Give yourself permission to

experience the greatest number of

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failures in a narrow chosen field.

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And can you give yourself permission?

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To choose that field to be your art.

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So by now we already have covered two

explicit lessons that we can get from

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Taylor Swift as a successful artist.

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The first one being allowing others

to support you, including financially,

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including intimate friends and

family, and also Allowing yourself

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to feel doubt and not letting it

stop you from pursuing your art.

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Normalizing the feeling of doubt.

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Okay, so I already went off script a

touch by giving you certain lessons

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early, but I really want to focus the

rest of this episode specifically on

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how Taylor Swift is a great case study.

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For a successful artist, be

simply because she makes art.

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She makes her art, which is the

first step to creative success.

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I have so many clients who come to me

because they identify as aspiring artists.

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Artists who wish they could

write their great American novel.

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Or finish their screenplay or

practice painting consistently,

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but they somehow can't.

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And sometimes what our coaching

conversations reveal is that They can't

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because they have some all or nothing

thinking and what I mean by that is

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They see someone else's great American

novel, someone else's Oscar award winning

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screenplay, someone else's masterpiece

hanging at the Louvre or the MoMA and

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they compare their beginning to someone

else's entire body of work, maybe even

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at the end of their glorious career.

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And it stops them in their

tracks from even beginning.

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And often, what I work with

them on is giving themselves

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permission to start taking a step.

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Any step.

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Any breadth of step.

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For any length of time on

their artist's journey.

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Because I think the reason why we see

Taylor Swift experience such monumental

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success at the age of 33, Right?

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And it could be really dangerous

for us to start comparing where we

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are now to her billionaire status.

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at an age where she may be our

age, or maybe even younger than us.

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I say that as an elder millennial, so

is my elder millennial ness showing?

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If anything, the lesson to take

from Taylor is to just get started,

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keep going at a regular, consistent

pace that works for you, and just

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continue to make investments.

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in your 10, 000 hours of expertise.

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Let me explain.

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Taylor signed with her first record

label at age 15, which means her

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10 albums and probably even more

songs are the product of 18 years of

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regular, consistent creative practice.

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If not more, because obviously she

had to have had some mastery of the

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skill of singing, writing songs,

et cetera, to even reach a point in

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development where a label would sign her.

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:

So we need to remind ourselves that

it took at least 18 years for her

359

:

to reach this point and for her to

reach this specific financial status.

360

:

However, it started with just taking

steps, frequently, consistently,

361

:

with focused energy and attention.

362

:

And then she just let the

interest on that time, energy,

363

:

and focus investment compound.

364

:

So my first invitation is for you to allow

yourself to have a regular, consistent,

365

:

Step by step creative practice.

366

:

So you're simply making investments

in your art and actually making art,

367

:

which is what Taylor has been doing

for at least 18 years and likely

368

:

longer, which is what resulted in.

369

:

This big body of work that we see

now, but it starts with one lyric, one

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:

hook, one chorus, one bridge, one song.

371

:

You cannot have an EP without one note,

and that's what she has been incredibly

372

:

great about doing time and time again.

373

:

So to give yourself permission

to just cultivate practice.

374

:

There's even a interview clip that I

saw of her where she says, don't let

375

:

anything stop you from making art.

376

:

Just make things.

377

:

Don't get so caught up in this

that it stops you from making art.

378

:

Or if you need to, make art about this.

379

:

But never stop making things.

380

:

So I want to give that to you too.

381

:

Be Unconditional in your love and

commitment to your creative practice.

382

:

Something that I have been offering for

the end of:

383

:

co working session, or as I like to

call it, a virtual co creating session,

384

:

every Monday, where on Mondays at 12

noon for two hours, I host a meeting on

385

:

Zoom where anyone can join in to make a

contribution towards their creative goals.

386

:

So we launched this last week.

387

:

We have, I think at least 50 people on

the RSVP list for this recurring event.

388

:

And eight people showed to start

taking these regular consistent

389

:

small or big steps towards their

goals to continue making things

390

:

and never stop making things.

391

:

In the event that you're interested in

this event, I will make sure that there's

392

:

a link available in the show notes so that

you can RSVP and you can participate too.

393

:

So yes, Keep making things, never

stop making things, and just let

394

:

the snowball effect do its thing.

395

:

Let's the interest on your investment

in your artistic practice to compound.

396

:

And the next lesson is very

much just a natural next step

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:

progression of the one before it.

398

:

Because if you never stop making

things and you keep making things, the

399

:

result is you will have made a So this

lesson is, don't be afraid to make

400

:

a lot of stuff that you think sucks,

that you don't like, that you don't

401

:

think other people will like, etc.

402

:

The only way to discover what doesn't

suck, what you like, what you think

403

:

other people will like, is by,

is by embracing the shadow self.

404

:

How is this a lesson from Taylor Swift?

405

:

Well, we know that Taylor Swift

creates more songs for each album,

406

:

more lyrics and verses for each song,

than necessarily sees the light of day.

407

:

How do we know this?

408

:

Well, this is something that she

has talked about in interviews.

409

:

For instance, the initial version of All

Too Well included additional verses and

410

:

additional lyrics that didn't make the

initial album, which is why she had a 10

411

:

minute version that she could release.

412

:

We also know that there are so many bonus

tracks that she releases, and it with

413

:

her deluxe versions of each album, and in

each of the Taylor's version re records,

414

:

she has offered certain new additional

tracks that she calls from the vault.

415

:

From this experience, we know

that there are probably even more

416

:

songs further deeper in the vault.

417

:

That we may never see, but she has

written, she may have produced, etc.

418

:

And this is important because I

believe it is through this process

419

:

of abundantly making that she has

probably been able to find her sound.

420

:

And become an even better

songwriter and even better lyricist.

421

:

Because she's simply given

herself more practice.

422

:

In fact, I came across a 2015 or 2016

interview where Taylor said, The reason

423

:

I like to take two years to make an

album is because I like to let it become

424

:

what it's going to become on its own.

425

:

When I start making an album,

I usually spend six months

426

:

writing and writing and writing.

427

:

And then, usually, all that

stuff that gets written in the

428

:

first six months gets thrown out.

429

:

Because those songs can be great,

but they sound too much like the last

430

:

album and not like the new album.

431

:

It takes a while for you to realize

you're creating a new sound.

432

:

I just have to follow

those artistic impulses.

433

:

So, Taylor writes and writes and writes,

and she writes her way into her new

434

:

sound, her new style, her new brand, or

at least the brand for her new album.

435

:

And I want to give you, as

an artist, the same lesson.

436

:

In privileging volume over preciousness

or perfection over any individual piece

437

:

of art that you are making in the process.

438

:

Because it is through putting yourself

through the paces of a creative

439

:

practice over and over again that

you will become a better artist.

440

:

You will discover your own style.

441

:

There is this book

called Trust the Process.

442

:

by Shane McNulty.

443

:

I have the link available in the show

notes, which anecdotally talks about

444

:

a study where there were two pottery

classes that were judged for their final

445

:

grade based on two different metrics.

446

:

One class was judged on The weight

and volume of the amount of clay

447

:

they threw the entire semester.

448

:

And the other class was judged on

one final piece that they would make.

449

:

So they were only judged

on one piece of art.

450

:

And what was discovered was that

actually, the skill and craft of the

451

:

pottery throwers that were aiming for a

volume grade, Was better, more improved,

452

:

and more advanced than the pottery

throwers that were simply graded on the

453

:

quality of one specific final piece.

454

:

Because those pottery throwers became too

precious, refining, refining, refining.

455

:

Not throwing a lot of clay,

just working on one piece.

456

:

And that actually had a negative

impact on their overall quality.

457

:

Evolution and Development as an Artist.

458

:

This is a lesson that I really focus

especially on delivering to any of my

459

:

clients that are working on a collection.

460

:

Whether that be a fashion designer, a

jewelry designer, a visual artist, etc.

461

:

Frequently, This category of artist is

really interested or anxious about whether

462

:

or not they will develop a signature

style, or if they have a signature style,

463

:

or they're tentative about introducing

themselves without a signature style.

464

:

And I always encourage them that this

style can be found through the process.

465

:

And not to let them not yet having

a style or a brand or a voice

466

:

stop them from being in process.

467

:

So if you relate to this struggle and need

support, know that I am available to help

468

:

you with that in my coaching practice.

469

:

Back to Taylor, another lesson that we

can learn from her making art practice

470

:

is she allows each song to be born the

way that they were meant to be born.

471

:

She's not precious about a process

for a former song or a former hit

472

:

suddenly becoming the formula for all

subsequent songs and all subsequent hits.

473

:

On certain albums where she has had deluxe

editions, she has shared voice notes.

474

:

that give us a peek behind

the curtain to the writing

475

:

process of any particular song.

476

:

And from this we learn that sometimes

a song is born from a specific lyric.

477

:

For instance, she talks about how for

blank space, A lot of the song was written

478

:

before she entered the studio, and it was

incredibly quick to write because she had

479

:

all the lyrics kind of floating around

in her brain already, including Darling

480

:

I'm a Nightmare Dressed Like a Daydream.

481

:

Then there are other songs that were

born from listening to the piece of music

482

:

that those lyrics would be set against.

483

:

I believe this practice is

called writing to track.

484

:

So, for instance, for the song I

Wish You Would, that was a track that

485

:

Jack Antonoff composed that he shared

with Taylor Swift, who was inspired

486

:

and compelled to write lyrics to.

487

:

This is also the way that many of the

songs on Folklore and Evermore were

488

:

born, in that, She would get, I don't

know, because I don't know all the parts

489

:

of songwriting or songs, but she would

get snippets, like musical snippets.

490

:

Melody's sounds from Aaron Dessner

of the Nationals and would write

491

:

according to what she got from

that particular audio experience.

492

:

Or she would write to complement

that audio experience, both in

493

:

terms of lyrics and melody and

of course, her infamous bridges.

494

:

I say this because she did not codify

or attribute the success of a song,

495

:

whether that be how much she liked

it, how much other people liked it,

496

:

and how big of a hit it would become.

497

:

To its specific songwriting process

and then try to replicate that

498

:

experience Again, and again, so she

did not constrain herself as an artist

499

:

to only make art one specific way.

500

:

I say this because I meet so many artists

who incidentally see what successful

501

:

artists do or hear in interviews about

one particular artist's process, and

502

:

then they take that as the Bible.

503

:

The first, last, and only way one should

be learning one's lines, rehearsing,

504

:

writing, shooting films, et cetera.

505

:

As a mom, I often think about,

uh, the birth story, right,

506

:

of my child or any child.

507

:

And a joke I heard, I'm not sure if it

was a Doola joke, an Obie Gein joke, etc.

508

:

But a successful birth is simply

getting the baby out alive.

509

:

Ideally with both the

mother and the baby healthy.

510

:

That's it.

511

:

That's all.

512

:

A birth story needs.

513

:

That's all labor is supposed to do.

514

:

It doesn't or shouldn't matter if

it is a C section, if the baby

515

:

was induced, if it was a vaginal

birth, how long the labor was.

516

:

The only thing that matters is the

baby is out, alive, and healthy.

517

:

And the birth story has no bearing.

518

:

on how good of a parent you are or

how good of a child your baby is.

519

:

What your birth plan was and how

closely you adhered to it is not a

520

:

determinant of how worthy you are as

a parent or how worthy your baby is.

521

:

And this metaphor applies to your art.

522

:

Whether or not, or how much you struggled,

Or, how easy it was to make something

523

:

doesn't mean anything about you as a

human and as an artist, and doesn't

524

:

really mean anything about how great or

well received, how successful whatever

525

:

piece of art you just made will be.

526

:

So maybe the best way

527

:

to Continuing to pile on metaphors

is to think of your creative process

528

:

more like cooking instead of baking.

529

:

Where you, the chef, are the most

essential ingredient to determining

530

:

the yumminess of your dish.

531

:

And it's not so scientific.

532

:

Stiff, formal, codified, scientific,

that you have to measure and bake

533

:

things at certain degrees and in

certain quantities in order to

534

:

produce a super yummy piece of art.

535

:

And I guess this metaphor also

holds because cooking is an

536

:

art, making art is an art.

537

:

And so to allow yourself to think of that

as a skill to cultivate over a formula you

538

:

can rinse and repeat and rinse and repeat.

539

:

Because then robots could

do it instead of humans.

540

:

And I'm giving this lesson because

I see so many creatives who want the

541

:

secret how to for how to make something.

542

:

And they give away all

their agency and power.

543

:

to a step by step process or beat

themselves up because they are not

544

:

adhering to a step by step process.

545

:

When instead of listening to what their

intuition wants them to do, how their

546

:

intuition wants them to create, and

having their own back to do it that way.

547

:

So, for instance, I am working

with a client who is writing a

548

:

book that they have always wanted

to write since they were a child.

549

:

This is an incredibly healing

journey for them to fulfill this

550

:

childhood wish of writing a book.

551

:

And if you look on the internet, there

are all these specific ways, steps, etc.

552

:

that Other people write books, and

usually when people think about

553

:

writing they often think that they

have to write in a sequential order.

554

:

And this is not something that

necessarily appeals to my client.

555

:

Writing according to other people's

instruction manuals and in a linear

556

:

sequential order is actually what has

stopped them from writing altogether.

557

:

So now we are discovering What her

writing process is for her, and

558

:

specifically, what is the way that

this book wants to be written?

559

:

And we're listening to that dialogue

and that inquiry instead of the shoulds.

560

:

And it always delights me to

witness an artist discovering

561

:

their process and actually seeing

something through to the finish.

562

:

So the lesson here, as modeled by

Taylor, is to let each piece of

563

:

art be born the way it wants to or

was meant to be born, as opposed

564

:

to how you think it should be born.

565

:

And the last lesson from Taylor Swift

on the step of making your art is

566

:

let the resources you have Be enough.

567

:

Of her songwriting process, Taylor

has shared that she keeps track

568

:

of a lot of her ideas simply on

voice memos and in her Notes app.

569

:

So Taylor Swift is an artist

just like you who does a chunk

570

:

of her songwriting on her phone.

571

:

Now be honest.

572

:

Is your art too good for your phone?

573

:

Do you need to have a specific location

and a huge chunk of unscheduled time

574

:

in order to practice your craft?

575

:

Now, Just as much as I'm sure that Taylor

could make that happen for herself, i.

576

:

e.

577

:

book studio time to write songs, she's

also an incredibly busy woman and just

578

:

accepts that a lot of songwriting has

to happen on the fly, or a moment of

579

:

inspiration can happen at any point

and that putting it in her notes

580

:

app or humming a tune to herself for

later can be enough in this moment.

581

:

She lets these resources be

enough for her inspiration.

582

:

Also, I learned from watching Folklore,

The Long Pond Sessions, that while

583

:

she previously had the luxurious

resource of external studios in which

584

:

to record her music, She did not have

an in home studio in her residence.

585

:

Of course, this may have changed now,

or may have changed by the time that she

586

:

had recorded Evermore, but we see in this

documentary that she used a guest room.

587

:

With a microphone and a bunch of

sound blankets as her recording booth.

588

:

Granted, she also had an audio engineer

with her who probably made the booth or

589

:

zhuzhed up the sound in post production.

590

:

But I was astounded that the initial

rough recording happened just in

591

:

a regular room With a bunch of

sound blankets muffling sound.

592

:

I say this because I have a client

who does voiceover work, who at

593

:

one point considered investing

in a four figure fancy voiceover

594

:

booth to install in his home.

595

:

Fast forward, he did not end up making

that investment, and to put this in

596

:

perspective, this voiceover booth probably

would have only been used for auditions,

597

:

or at least primarily for auditions, which

is a far cry from the kind of equipment

598

:

Taylor was using and for what purpose.

599

:

But I share this because, uh, she did

not have access to certain resources.

600

:

When she recorded Folklore Evermore,

because it was the time of COVID, in

601

:

fact, this also impacted her songwriting

experience because she had to work with

602

:

her co writers and her co producers

remotely, which is not something

603

:

that she had previously experienced.

604

:

But she didn't let the idea that she

didn't have the resources that she

605

:

normally has or would have wanted

to get in the way of her showing

606

:

up for her creative practice, her

fulfilling her own creative impulses

607

:

to write songs in early pandemic.

608

:

And this is a really important lesson.

609

:

For a lot of artists who feel like

they can't create when they don't

610

:

have the right or perfect tools.

611

:

The only primary and essential

tool for your art is you.

612

:

You showing up.

613

:

You showing up regularly and consistently.

614

:

Whatever that means for you and your art.

615

:

You showing up and also being in dialogue

and dancing and figuring out what exactly

616

:

your art needs, what the process is that

your art wants in order to be born and

617

:

not measuring the success and the quality

of your art by its artistic process.

618

:

And allowing the resources you have

available to you, the circumstances

619

:

that you are creating in, to be

enough, or even, in fact, perfectly

620

:

imperfect, or even a positive

influence on the final outcome.

621

:

and result that will be your masterpiece.

622

:

I hope that you can find this value

in these lessons through the case

623

:

study of Taylor Swift, her songs,

her albums, and her mastery at

624

:

this particular moment in time.

625

:

In the event that Examples from her

Wikipedia page don't feel relatable.

626

:

I hope you were able to find the

examples rooted in my own personal

627

:

journey as an artist, or in the

journeys of my clients as artists.

628

:

Something that you can empathize

with and model yourself after.

629

:

And I want to acknowledge That

you might be listening to this and

630

:

thinking none of those particular

solutions are solutions to my problem.

631

:

To the problem that is stopping

me from overcoming my block, my

632

:

obstacle, my stuckness in the

process of simply making art.

633

:

In which case, I suggest

reaching out to me.

634

:

The good news is, right now,

in the end of the year,:

635

:

my coaching practice is open.

636

:

I'm currently having conversations

with artists just like you on how

637

:

they can level up in their career.

638

:

And your level up may be,

simply be, how do I start?

639

:

Let myself be in process or finish my art

or even choose which of the many projects

640

:

that are floating in my brain to focus on.

641

:

I am totally down for any of those

conversations to support the world

642

:

being a more creatively abundant place.

643

:

So I hope this episode so

far has been a win win win.

644

:

Now, because the episode has already

been so long, I'm going to honor my hunch

645

:

and say right now there is going to be

Likely one follow up episode in which I

646

:

talk about how Taylor has mastered the

other two steps to creative success.

647

:

And that is the step of sharing your art.

648

:

with perhaps as many people as possible.

649

:

And then step three, asking others for

what your art needs, perhaps with as

650

:

many people as possible, sufficient

to getting your art's needs met.

651

:

These are just some of the things

that you can expect through

652

:

the rest of this mini season.

653

:

Thank you so much for listening

and being an artist committed

654

:

to the journey of making art.

655

:

Until next time, bye!

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