Taylor Swift Says She Feels ‘More Free to Create Now’ Than When She Was in Her 20s

“I’m happier when I’m making things more often,” she told director Martin McDonagh in a new interview.

Taylor Swift attends the 2022 MTV VMAs at Prudential Center on Aug. 28, 2022, in Newark, N.J.Arturo Holmes/FilmMagic

Taylor Swift opened up Monday (Dec. 12) about how her approach to creativity has changed as she moves into the next decade of her career.

The topic came up when the superstar sat down with acclaimed director Martin McDonagh as part of Variety‘s annual Directors on Directors series. “Do you feel like your songwriting is different now? Even if you’re talking about a heartbreak song, are you different in writing now as opposed to how you were when you were 22?” the Banshees of Inisherin filmmaker asked Swift, comparing All Too Well: The Short Film to the original album cut from 2012’s Red.

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“Yes. I definitely feel more free to create now,” the pop star-turned-director replied. “And I’m making more albums at a more rapid pace than I ever did before, because I think the more art you create, hopefully the less pressure you put on yourself. It’s just a phase I’m in right now. And everybody’s different. There are people who put an album out every five years and it’s brilliant and that’s the way they work. And I have full respect for that. But I’m happier when I’m making things more often.”

Swift also shed light during the discussion on how she tackled making the Grammy-nominated short film for “All Too Well (10 Minute Version),” starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien, and how it might impact her upcoming directorial debut for Searchlight Pictures.

“Every aspect of my job as a singer has affected the way that I am as a director,” the “Anti-Hero” singer said. “I’ve occasionally been in a film for very short periods of time. I really want someone to feel comfortable. If they want to be able to look at the monitor, or they want to know how it’s set up, they should be able to. But I think it’s helpful when people know what story it is they’re telling. I’ve been part of things where you didn’t know the script, and no one knew what the story was.

“And so as much as I like to be secretive about projects I’m making,” she concluded, “you have to trust the people that you’re making something with to let them know this is exactly why this matters.”