A Bit Like Taylor Swift | Healing Heartbreak through Creativity & Clarity

My daughter, just as Taylor Swift came onstage at the Eras Tour show at Lumen Field in Seattle.

In July of 2023, I took my daughter to the Eras Tour in Seattle for her graduation present.

Tens of thousands of people flooded the stadium—sparkling, screaming, singing every word like it was their own.

I wasn’t a huge Taylor Swift fan. I’m still not, exactly.

But I stood there, watching this sea of joy and devotion, and I felt something shift.

There’s a power in someone who can hold space for that many hearts.

A woman who turns her pain into art, her truth into anthems, and somehow makes millions feel seen.

That night, I felt just a little left out of the club.

I didn’t know the backstories.

I didn’t have the friendship bracelets.

But I saw the impact,

And I respected it.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about that.

Because lately, I’ve been creating like my life depends on it.

Not for fans or fame, but to find my footing again.

To stitch together the pieces of a heartbreak I didn’t see coming.

I didn’t get closure. I got clarity.

And like Taylor, I’ve started telling the truth with a little more sparkle.

I’m not singing on stage.

But I am choosing purpose over opinion.

I’m learning to let go.

To shape it into something honest.

To look forward to the day I can say,

“I forgot that you existed.”

So maybe I am a bit like Taylor Swift after all.

Not because I sang along,

but because I stayed. And I created. And I didn’t let it break me.

Whatever you’re carrying, find a way to move it through you.

Paint it. Dance it. Sing it. Build it. Burn it.

Turn it into something beautiful—or something raw and real.

You don’t need an audience.

Just a way to alchemize the ache.

By Katherine Tatsuda

About the Author

Katherine Tatsuda is a writer, speaker, and legacy builder who believes in turning heartbreak into art and ashes into gold. A former grocery store CEO turned community leader and creative force, she writes with emotional precision and luminous truth. Whether she’s hiking mountain trails, leading a school board, or unraveling the tangled threads of love and loss, Katherine shows up with clarity, courage, and a little bit of glitter. She lives in Southeast Alaska, where the rain never stops, but neither does her fire.