Thinking on Paper: Why It Matters
Imagine opening this little old journal. It feels kind of worn. The pages inside? They’re just packed. Packed with everything you think. All your big dreams are in there. Plus, all those moments that made you, well, *you*. For creative people, like musicians, this kind of personal writing helps *so* much. It honestly changes everything. Keeping a journal or a diary has truly shaped loads of artists.
Taylor Swift? Oh, she’s definitely one. She almost always starts writing songs with her own experiences. She’s talked about this, openly too, for years now. From when she was just starting out in country music to being this massive pop star today, her lyrics are tied to her thoughts. Those thoughts? Many came straight from her journals.
You know, Spotify did a survey? It turned out 70% of folks who write songs use journals. They do it to find ideas. That number tells you a lot, right? It shows tons of artists, just like Swift, use their own lives. They do this to make music that feels really real. Swift herself said journaling is a help. It helps her sort through how she feels. Plus, all those experiences. She even told Rolling Stone something interesting. She said her journals are like her best friends. Honestly, they’ve seen her through everything, she added. See how much artists trust their own writing? They really do count on it.
Peeking into Taylor Swift’s World
To be honest, Taylor Swift’s lyrics often feel like she ripped pages right from her diary. The feelings she puts in? They’re just incredible. Her songs talk a lot about relationships. They cover heartbreak, definitely. And growing up. Just think about “All Too Well.” That hit song is all about an old relationship. It feels so vivid, doesn’t it? Almost like watching a movie unfold. The song captures emotions that feel raw. Those little details, like a scarf left behind? They probably began as thoughts she wrote down.
Swift’s lyrics don’t just show her life stuff. They also show how she thinks and feels about it all. Studies actually say writing about feelings helps us. It can lead to a healthier mind. A study back in 2018 in Psychological Science found this. Writing openly helps people deal with emotions. This fits so perfectly with how Swift works. Her journaling makes her better. She gets better at putting complicated feelings and moments into her music. Pretty neat, wouldn’t you say?
What Taylor Swift Keeps Writing About
Let’s see, what else comes to mind? Her personal journals really set the main ideas for her music. Things like love and, yeah, heartbreak? They show up loads. You see this in every single album she’s put out. Her early albums, like “Fearless” and “Speak Now,” captured young love. It felt so pure back then. Then look at later ones, like “Reputation” and “Lover.” They look at bigger ideas. Self-love. Being strong. This shift shows how she grew as a person. She likely wrote all of this down in her journals as it happened.
Think about “The Archer” from her album “Lover.” Swift thinks about feeling unsure of herself in that song. She also talks about her weaker spots. The line, “I’ve been the archer, I’ve been the prey,” is super strong. Lots of us feel that push and pull sometimes. This is a clear example. It shows how her private thoughts appear in her songs. This song really connects with listeners. It’s not just about finding love. It’s about those inner battles everyone faces every day.
Being Real and Connecting
Why does this even matter anyway? When artists are open about things, it helps them connect. It makes a stronger link with the people listening. A study from the University of California in 2016 found something interesting. When music feels really open and honest, it helps. It builds stronger emotional ties. This happens between the artist and their fans. Swift shares her worries. She shares heartbreak. She shares her big wins too. She lets us see into her world. This honesty lets us see ourselves in her stories.
“Clean,” from her “1989” album, is a great example. That song talks about feeling new again. It’s about healing after a tough stretch. Swift uses vivid pictures. “The drought was the very worst,” she sings. And, “You’re still all over me like a wine-stained dress.” Those lines capture moving on. They describe leaving a difficult time behind you. So many people feel like this sometimes. It certainly came from her own deep thoughts. She definitely wrote these down in her journal, for sure.
Writing Songs That Feel True
I am happy to dive into how Swift writes such real lyrics. One thing you notice about her songwriting? She tells stories that just feel true. They feel like they could be anyone’s story. She uses her own life stuff a lot. She writes it all down carefully. It goes into those journals of hers. This way of working helps her make songs. They feel super personal to her. But somehow they still speak to all of us listening.
Take her song “The Story of Us.” The words describe feeling distant. It’s about a relationship just fading away. Lots of people have felt that empty space. But Swift says it in a way that feels new. It’s really quite moving. She captures that unsure feeling. She captures that ache you get with love sometimes. These feelings? She most likely wrote them down. They were in her journals when she was living through those moments herself.
How Life Shapes Music
Swift’s journals hold everything. They’re like a big book of her thoughts. They collect all her feelings. They write down what happens in her life. They get her emotions. But they also capture the world around her too. This detailed writing helps her craft lyrics. Her songs often talk about what she’s been through. A study in 2020, the Journal of Creative Behavior, looked at this. Artists who use their own life stuff make art with more impact. You see this clearly in Swift’s work. She often draws from her life. She uses it to create music that really clicks. It connects deeply with her audience.
On her album “Folklore,” Swift tried something different. She wrote songs more like stories. The song “Betty” tells a tale. It’s from the view of a teenage boy. Still, the feelings in it feel so totally real. This shows how good Swift is. She weaves her own experiences into made-up stories. This mix shows how skilled she is with words. It also shows she loves telling a good story. What amazing talent!
Writing Down Feelings Helps
Honestly, thinking about how journaling helps is pretty cool. Especially for artists like Taylor Swift. Research hints that writing down your feelings helps manage them. It also helps you think more creatively. A study from 2019 in the Journal of Applied Psychology found something interesting. People who write about how they feel often become more creative people. They also get better at figuring out problems. This finding suggests how journaling helps Swift. It improves her lyric writing, big time.
The simple act of writing feels freeing sometimes. It’s a safe spot. Artists can work through their feelings there. For Swift, her journals are like a launchpad. She looks at her feelings there first. Then she makes them into song lyrics. When she writes a song, it’s more than just words on paper. She puts her experiences into it. She puts her feelings and all her thoughts there. It’s all in the song.
A Storyteller’s Lasting Mark
But here’s the thing: Swift using journals didn’t just help her. It also touched a whole group of people who came after her. Lots of newer artists look up to her so much. They say she gives them ideas. ASCAP did a survey. Over 60% of young people who write songs study how Swift tells stories. They use her as an example when they write. This really shows how powerful her songs are. It shows how real they feel because of her thoughts.
Swift isn’t afraid of her life experiences. She puts them into her journals. By doing this, she made something that will last. It connects with millions of people. Her skill at turning her life into art people can relate to? It’s huge. It truly shows just how powerful thinking on paper is for making music.
Conclusion: Finding Yourself Through Writing
So, yeah, journals influenced Taylor Swift’s songs in a huge way. From her first songs to the ones out now, her lyrics really show you things. They show how she’s grown. They look at emotional tough spots. They share all the little details of relationships. Journaling let her put her experiences into words. She does it in a way that feels real and quite brave. This makes a bond that lasts with everyone listening. It’s a really strong link.
Looking ahead, I am excited to see how Swift keeps changing. I believe she will keep writing about her thoughts and feelings. And that will keep shaping her music. It will keep inspiring people for years to come. So, next time you hear a Taylor Swift song, think about how it got made. Think about what brought those words to life. Imagine the pages of her journal. They’re probably filled with thoughts, dreams, and feelings. And those turned into the amazing songs we all love today.
