Creativity, Autonomy & Voice: 3 Lessons Learnt From Taylor Swift & 'Miss Americana'

There is a scene where Taylor Swift ( Tay-Tay) is waiting to hear about the 2018 Grammy nominations - she sits on the couch in a regular tee and pyjamas - biting her lips in anxiety - talking to her publicist on the phone. Her publicist shares the bad news - Taylor's album 'Reputation' has been snubbed in all major categories for the Grammy that year. Taylor is on the verge of crying - disappointed and heartbroken but she says, " You know what. This is good. I just need to make a better album."

If there was one moment that taught me the most in 'Miss Americana' - the Netflix documentary, this is it.

A girl who started her career at the age of 13 by writing her own songs - weaving stories out of her real-life incidents - became a global icon and one of the bestselling divas of the music industry - brought down by Kanye West; attacked mercilessly on social media; forced to maintain a certain body image and become anorexic; her personal life and heartbreaks splashed all over in public and then snubbed for awards.

Despite all this, all she says is -

" I have to work harder.

I need to make a better album."

For all creatives out there ( These are 3 amazing things I learnt from 'Miss Americana' and I highly recommend watching it. )

1. Creativity Is A Lifelong Grind But A Reward In Itself:

If you are a creative person, brace yourself for a lifetime of hard work. Taylor's life may look like it's all parties and gorgeous stage performances and dating Hollywood heartthrobs but her success is due to her hard work - for 15 - 16 continuous years now. She writes her own songs; does endless rehearsals; does recordings and then strives to do better with every album. The documentary focuses on this unglamorous behind the scenes life that she leads and how alienating it can be - she often doesn't see her family - she doesn't have a social life or too many friends - she has to prove herself at a higher level every time she succeeds. Yet, she is shown as the happiest when she is creating and writing and singing. Do you have that kind of grit and determination in you? To just sit down year after year and put in the work to become better?

2. Fame & Success Take Away Autonomy:

Miss Americana shows how Taylor gets really insecure despite all the awards and early wins and the love of millions of fans. She feels that she is being booed by the audience - her privacy is non-existent and she can't even speak out her true feelings on any subject. She wants to vote for someone who stands for equality and emancipation but she is grilled by her own family and PR team about not appearing 'too political' as that will end her career. Someone else decides every single thing on her schedule on most days and all she can hope for is to maintain the public image of a 'good girl'. Also, she had to bear with stalkers - one of them who broke into her bedroom because he thought he owned her.

We all feel jealous of the lifestyle of celebs, rockstars, billionaire entrepreneurs but there is a hidden price - you cannot live your life the way you really want to - or take the decisions you really want to. The more famous, rich and successful you become, the lesser time you have to yourself and to do the things that really gave you joy when you started out on your path. Your life will never again be completely yours - you will have to bear the public gaze and the media's scrutiny. Doesn't matter if you are sick or tired or just had a breakup - you gotta show up, look perfect and perform.

3. You have the power of your voice - Use It.

I loved the ending of the documentary ( spoiler alert ahead ). Taylor wins the #MeToo case against an RJ who had groped her - she recounts the horrifying way in which courts of law treat women who file cases of sexual harassment, even though she had proof and witnesses. She realises the power of her voice and begins to use it to promote the right causes - voting and rallying for the candidates who promote equality for women; supporting and collaborating with the gay community; speaking up about violence against women and inspiring millions of teen girls and boys across the globe with her empowering songs.

If you are a creative person, you also have a responsibility - to spread the right messages to your audience and to try and drive change with your art.

Is Tay-Tay perfect? Hell no. But there is no denying that she is an extremely hard-working artist who uses her voice to drive change, pushing past all the obstacles caused by fame.

Here's hoping we can be 1/10th like her.

About The Author:

Here's my video on the process of becoming a great artist.

Annesha Dutta is a self-declared 'Queen of the Nerds'. Communications creator and content marketer by day at the awesome fintech startup - MoneyTap, headquartered in Bangalore. Subscribe to her weekly newsletter on Linkedin - The Anniecast.

She also creates videos on personal branding; career success; Linkedin Tips and public speaking. Subscribe to her channel here - YouTube: AskAnnie.

Annesha has been listed in Linkedin Top Voices India in 2017 and 2018. A TEDx speaker and Distinguished Toastmaster, Annesha has delivered more than 50+ talks and workshops on career advice, business storytelling and employer branding, with a focus on Linkedin content and storytelling.