If you’ve been tuned into Taylor Swift news, you probably saw that Taylor gained back control of all of her creative work when she bought back her masters recently. Part of the reason she was able to do this was the massive success of her Eras Tour. While Taylor likely could have purchased back her masters without the income from the tour, the additional revenue certainly provided her with the option to do it much more easily. In addition, the process of re-recording her albums and announcing them throughout the tour likely devalued the original recordings, making them less expensive to buy than they would have been originally.
Without the Eras Tour, Taylor might not have been able to achieve her ultimate dream: to own all of her work. Likewise, without the Eras Tour, I might never have been given the absolute dream of an opportunity to write The Story of You.
You see, The Story of You wasn’t the first time I pitched a Taylor Swift book. Over a decade ago, I presented the idea to a publisher but the publisher wasn’t interested in a Swiftie book at that time. Though Taylor was incredibly popular back then, she wasn’t anywhere near as beloved as she became during and after the Eras Tour, so it was understandable that a publisher would be hesitant to do a self-help book inspired by her work.
I knew where they were coming from because, back then, anytime I shared Taylor-related art on social media, I would lose followers and receive snarky comments. Creating a book inspired by her work would be a risk. It was one I was willing to take, but I understood why a publisher might not be willing to take that same risk. But with Taylor’s Eras Tour and her increase in fame and popularity, it became much easier to pitch my idea to a publisher.
What’s the point of me writing all about this? Well, it’s to remind you (and me!) that sometimes bad things happen but they work out for the best much, much later in ways you could never have anticipated. If I had gotten to write that book years and years ago, it wouldn’t have included so much of the work and lyrics and inspiration created by Taylor because it didn’t exist yet. Likewise, had Taylor not faced the loss of her masters, the challenge of re-recording her albums, (and Covid lockdowns), she might never have done an Eras Tour. Taylor probably would have just gone on a regular album tour, and so many would have lost out on the Eras Tour experience. (While I didn’t get to attend, I saw the ways that it positively impacted and inspired so many people who did.)
I write this to say that: (1) sometimes we don’t know why things are working out the way they are and what can be devastating in the moment can lead to much greater things later, and (2) we don’t know what kind of impact our work is having on the lives of other people. Everything we do has a ripple effect. For Taylor, not being able to buy back her masters led to her doing the re-recordings, which probably (in addition to Covid) led to the Eras Tour, which led to an insane rise in popularity, which ultimately led to me being given the opportunity to make this book!
Taylor’s loss inspired her to create updated and new work, which then led to me (and countless other authors and creatives) creating their art inspired by that work. And, in my case, I’m creating a book that will inspire others to create their own art and write their own words! The future is unknown, so, no matter what’s happening right now, you have no idea what kind of positive impact the ripples of a bad situation can have on your future and the future of others.
What happens to belongs to you. You belong to you. So keep going. Keep seeking inspiration. And, most importantly, keep creating!
Check out The Story of You: A Swiftie Journal & Coloring Book for Self-Discovery for more Taylor-inspired inspiration and introspection. Available wherever you like to buy books or pre-order here.
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