Bring Something to the Room. Then See What the Room Can Do with It.

Taylor Swift recently sat down with Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, to reflect on twenty years of music. She was speaking to a room full of songwriters at the Grammy Museum in LA, a gathering of people who deeply understand both the craft of writing and the changes reshaping creative work across industries.

As the two walked through her albums and the moments of inspiration behind them, I imagine the writers in the room were listening closely for what she might reveal about the work behind the songs.

What stayed with me was the distance between having an idea and making something of it. For all the attention we give inspiration, much of what Swift described was far more practical. Throughout the conversation, she returned to the habits and relationships that move an idea forward: paying attention, doing the work, inviting other people in and remaining open to where an idea might lead.

The First Idea Doesn’t Have to Be the Final One

Swift was asked if her songs changed dramatically throughout the collaborative process. In response, she told the story of “I Knew You Were Trouble,” which she originally wrote as a sad piano ballad. The audience laughed, as I can only assume many of them could see where this was going. While in the studio with Max Martin and Shellback, they suggested a different approach. Maybe dubstep?

Musically, this song turned out to be a major departure for her. It appeared on "Red" in 2012, when she was largely considered a country artist. Looking back, she recalled that when she first brought it to the room of collaborators, they didn’t treat the original idea as fixed. They heard another possibility entirely — pop-rock verses with an electronic, dubstep-influenced drop in the chorus. She called these collaborators “yes, and” people. People you can bring your ideas to who listen, build on them and help you evolve. People who respect what you bring to the room and still push you further.

Show Up Even When the Idea Fairy Doesn’t

As they closed out the interview portion of the night, the moderator offered Swift a chance to leave some advice for the songwriters in the room. I listened closely here, wondering how much of her advice might hold true beyond songwriting. She said,

“I hope that you will show up to work even when the idea fairy doesn't.

I hope that you will not be the person who shoots down everyone's ideas in the room but has not brought any of your own.

I hope that you will remember the ‘yes, and’ of the improv session that is your recording sessions and that is life as well.

 And I hope you remember that in the music industry, as wild and ever-changing as it is, enthusiasm can protect you from anything. I would know.”

As someone in the business of ideas as a content writer and editor, this collection of thoughts felt deeply personal to the work I do.

There is a dreamy idea of writing that gives inspiration a lot of credit. The right idea arrives, the words follow and soon enough, something good takes shape. Sometimes it does happen that way. More often, the work asks something less exciting of us: show up anyway. Bring an idea before you know whether it is the right one. Let someone else challenge it. Be willing to change it without becoming possessive about what you brought in the first place.

The Discipline Behind a Good Idea

Collaboration requires both contribution and openness. You have to bring something to the room, but you also have to leave enough room around it for someone else to make it better. Swift's original piano ballad wasn't a failed version of “I Knew You Were Trouble.” It was the idea that gave her collaborators something to work with.

I think there is a lesson in there well beyond songwriting. Ideas rarely arrive fully formed, and good work rarely comes from waiting until they do.

Bring something to the room. Then see what the room can do with it.

Have an idea you’re still figuring out how to put into words? That’s a good place to start. Blacklock Communications provides writing, editing and content strategy support for organizations with something worth saying.