Can writing impact your wellbeing? Taylor Swift seems to think so
The whole world is talking about it, so unless you're currently living under a rock, you probably know that Taylor Swift released her twelfth album, The Life of a Showgirl, yesterday (October 3rd).
During her release day promo, she made an appearance on Graham Norton’s iconic red sofa, alongside other guests including Cillian Murphy, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner, and Domhnall Gleeson.
While discussing the conception of the album, Taylor mentioned something about the process of writing that caused my ears to really prick up.
She explained that the record came together during the European leg of her Eras Tour in 2024 - a stretch of back-to-back, three-and-a-half-hour shows performed in heels, which left her physically drained.
“It was actually the craziest schedule that we had on the European tour,” she explained. “I was more physically exhausted than usual […] I was starting to sort of get sick and kind of worn down.”
The obvious remedy to that exhaustion would be to pull back, rest, and recharge. But when you’re in the middle of the highest-grossing tour of all time, with audiences ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 people each night, slowing down isn’t really an option.
Instead, Taylor leaned into something else entirely: creativity.
“I thought, I really need something to spark up my imagination and creativity, and hopefully that will fuel my physical exhaustion.
“And it did, because I would do like three shows and then I would fly to Sweden and make three songs, and then do three shows and then - it was having that secret passion project behind the scenes that [...] really helped me not ever hit a wall on that tour.”
Writing new songs became the thing that gave Taylor energy when everything else was draining it. And what she’s describing here is something I talk about a lot - that creativity isn’t just about producing something, it’s about fuelling yourself in the process.
Creativity as fuel, not just output
Taylor’s comments shine a light on an idea that often gets overlooked: creativity isn’t simply about the end product, it’s about what happens to us along the way.
We tend to celebrate the outcomes - the finished song, the book on the shelf, the painting on the wall. But the act of creating itself can be just as powerful.
In Taylor’s case, The Life of a Showgirl was more than a forthcoming album; it was a lifeline in the middle of a punishing tour schedule.
This aligns with a wider truth: creativity can restore and replenish. It offers a space for play, exploration, and perspective-shifting. When we engage our imagination, we’re not only making something external, we’re also strengthening something internal.
For me, that process happens through writing. For others, it might be journaling, painting, baking, knitting, or playing guitar in the living room.
The form doesn’t matter. What matters is that you give your imagination space to stretch.
What the science says
Taylor’s instincts are echoed in research. A Psychology Today article titled The Art of Bouncing Forward explores how creativity helps us turn suffering into strength.
The author challenges the common idea of resilience as “toughness” - the stiff-upper-lip refusal to bend. Real resilience, they argue, is about adapting, reshaping, and reimagining life after challenge or loss. And creativity is one of the clearest ways we do that.
Everyday acts like journalling, rearranging a room, doodling in the margins of a notebook, or cooking a new dish all count as creativity. They aren’t distractions, but ways of reorganising chaos. By expressing ourselves, we give form to feelings that otherwise stay muddled inside.
Art therapy studies show that creative activity can regulate emotions and help us process experience.
Research on expressive writing - particularly the work of James Pennebaker - has found that short bursts of writing about difficult experiences improve not only mood but even aspects of physical health.
Importantly, these benefits don’t come from producing something polished or “good”. They come from the act itself, from making meaning through expression.
And that’s the key point. Creativity externalises pain and uncertainty, moves it somewhere tangible, and gives us the chance to re-story our experiences.
So when Taylor says her songwriting kept her from hitting a wall, she’s not being metaphorical. She’s describing something backed up by science: creativity really does help us cope, adapt, and carry on.
Creativity as a muscle
This ties back to an idea I often use with clients: creativity is a muscle. Like any muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets.
It’s not about writing the perfect story or creating a flawless painting every time. It’s about giving yourself permission to try. Some days, what you make will feel incredible. Other days, it will feel clumsy or half-baked. Both count. Both are part of the process.
The point isn’t perfection. The point is expression.
Just as physical exercise builds stamina in the body, creative exercise builds resilience in the mind. It helps us stretch our perspective and find new ways of seeing the world. And that shift is often what makes it easier to face everything else.
Finding your entry point
Most of us aren’t flying to Sweden between work shifts to record new songs. But we can still carve out small moments for creativity in daily life.
Here are three ways to start:
1. Build it into your rhythm
Creativity rarely happens by accident - you have to make space for it.
Look for natural pauses in your week: ten minutes with a notebook in the morning, a short sketch before bed, or a few minutes of free-writing on your phone during the commute.
Like Taylor writing between shows, you can make creativity a regular part of your life.
2. Shrink the stakes
One barrier that stops people from being creative is the belief that it has to be brilliant. It doesn’t. You don’t need to write a novel or produce a gallery piece. You just need to create.
Scribble a poem that makes no sense. Try a writing recipe that might flop. Write a page you’ll never show anyone. The value is in the act, not the outcome.
3. Let it flow imperfectly
Not every attempt will produce something you love. That’s fine, and that’s the point.
Creativity is at its most powerful when you stop chasing perfection and instead focus on expression. Some prompts or ideas won’t go anywhere - but even then, you’ve still stretched the muscle. You’ve still given yourself an outlet.
A simple way in
If being creative feels daunting or completely alien, you don’t need to overcomplicate it. My Creative Writing Prompt Cards are designed as an easy entry point: 52 prompts that take away the intimidation of the blank page and give you somewhere to start.
They’re not about writing the next great novel; they’re about finding small, playful ways to express yourself.
Some days you’ll surprise yourself with what you come up with. Other days, you might write a few lines and move on without ever looking back. Both are valid. Both are creative.
Taylor Swift credits her creativity with keeping her from hitting a wall. Psychology points to the same truth: creative expression helps us adapt, recover, and keep going.
So maybe the real question isn’t ‘can creativity impact your wellbeing?’, it’s ‘why wouldn’t you give it a chance?’
