Inspiration From a Musical Mastermind by Hailey

Inspiration From a Musical Mastermind by Hailey - November 2022 Scholarship Essay

My most surprising source of inspiration this school year has been the musical artist Taylor Swift! Taylor is constantly releasing new albums during a time when everything was shut down due to a worldwide pandemic. She recently released an album that broke many records, and her songs are lyrical masterpieces.
Taylor Swift is such an inspiration to me during the school year. It has been hard getting adjusted to in-person school and navigating all the challenges and stress that comes with taking lots of AP courses. I sometimes put a Taylor Swift record on while I do my homework to lift my mood and bring myself more energy to keep persevering. Her constant re-imaginations of her different selves, stories, and past lives of far away fantasies awaken the creativity that I use every day in school. Taylor Swift advocates for herself in the way that she owns all of her work and re-recorded previous albums in order to be in control of her songs. I find that her dedication to re-record all her past songs that were sold to someone else is truly amazing. I admire how strong she is to stand up for what she wants, and her courage to be her own leader inspires me to stand up for myself during this school year.
Taylor Swift’s new album Midnights was a record breaking accomplishment that inspires me to work more on writing songs and keep working on learning music composition. I dream of performing an original song and being like Taylor Swift one day! She is very intelligent and comes up with new ideas to write songs that are still relevant to a wide audience that make people feel the complexities of love, grief, heartbreak, revenge, and other very unique emotions. Hearing her express what she feels for the whole world to see gives me inspiration and encouragement to be vulnerable in songwriting, which is a very scary thing to do.
Taylor Swift also gives me literal words of encouragement and shares her struggles with the poetic lyrics in her songs. For example, in the song “You’re On Your Own Kid” she sings,
“From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes
I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this
I hosted parties and starved my body
Like I'd be saved by a perfect kiss
The jokes weren't funny, I took the money
My friends from home don't know what to say
I looked around in a blood-soaked gown
And I saw something they can't take away
'Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned
Everything you lose is a step you take
So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it
You've got no reason to be afraid
You're on your own, kid / Yeah, you can face this
You're on your own, kid / You always have been.”

With each song she writes, Taylor takes the listener through the journey of a story and shows the emotional roller coasters of being a woman under scrutiny and facing difficulties. Her words uplift every one who has ever struggled with finding themselves, and she tells us that we can face our challenges because we have done it before. I am so inspired by this powerful reminder and this song has inspired me to keep working through fear, stress, and anxiety to face challenges in life, both in school and my personal life. Taylor Swift’s lyrics compel me to make time for friendships during this school year, which I am very glad that I have made a priority! Spending time with friends and being aware of the power that I hold to create new projects and possibilities in life makes me so happy to continue this school year with hope and inspiration for the future!