HUMAN DESIGN BREAKDOWNS: TAYLOR SWIFT
Human Design Breakdown: Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift's success in the music industry is undeniable. With her ability to continuously reinvent herself and produce hit songs across various genres, she has solidified her position as one of the most influential and accomplished artists of our time. The dedication to her craft, coupled with her business acumen and the loyal fan base she has nurtured - has propelled her to unprecedented levels of fame. I remember when I was living in London in 2009, I got tickets to see her at a random pub in Shepherd’s Bush for less than £30 - and it wasn’t even full. This was fresh off the back of her breakup from Joe Jonas, still deep in her country music era decked out in a floaty white dress, cowboy boots, curly long hair and guitar in hand. I (along with probably many others there) had no idea that we were witnessing the beginnings of pop superstardom.
Flash forward to today, fans wait for hours on end to MAYBE get a ticket to a stadium tour. But the journey hasn’t been without it’s challenges - from the infamous ‘imma let you finish’ at the MTV awards, to the leaked phone calls that had her comments flooded with snake emojis for months, endless relationship speculation and projections about her character, yet she’s still taken it all and continued to create a thriving career - on her terms. Which, when you look at her Human Design is absolutely on brand. She’s got the channel of entrepreneurship, along with the drive for purpose and meaning, the gift of refinement and improvement, turning challenges into opportunities and empowering those around her. And as one of the most talked about women on the planet, she provides a fascinating case study for us to explore.
She’s a Projector.
Taylor is known for her exceptional songwriting and stage presence, music and lyrical genius as well as the keen ability to connect with her audience on a deep emotional level. If you’re a Swifty, you’ll know what I mean. As a Projector, she has a natural gift of being able to ‘see’ into the other with her deep and focused aura. One of the superpowers of the Projector is that they’re able to use that unique birds eye view perspective to make improvements and optimisation to systems, processes and other peoples talents - bringing out the best in them.
She’s used that talent for translating her personal experiences into universally relatable music that inspires and impacts fans around the globe through creative storytelling and visuals. Projectors are often described as visionaries - and she definitely falls under that category in the music industry. The Projector strategy is to ‘Wait For the Invitation’, but I prefer to see it as allowing yourself to be recognised. When a Projector is visible in their zone of genius, the ‘invitations’ roll in leading to their Signature state of Success. If there’s one thing that Taylor has mastered, is being visible in the ways that have led her fanbase to feel so connected to her, ultimately wanting to be in the room with her to experience it. With over 100 major awards under her belt and a net worth of over $1billion - it’s safe to say she’s mastered not only her Strategy, but opened up the floodgates for her Signature to flow through as well.
“If you are lucky enough to find something that you love, and you have a shot at being good at it, don't stop, don't put it down.”
She’s a 5/1 Profile.
The 5/1 Profile is a powerful one as it combines a wealth of foundational knowledge and wisdom (1st Line), with the ability to universalise that into a solution for the collective (5th Line) - which is exactly what we’ve seen Taylor do with her music. They are a keen observer of the world around them and the balance of their profile means that they can break through the collective habit of seeing things the same way, as well as provide an innovative means of change through new possibilities.
I’ll be honest, it’s this portion of her chart that intrigued me the most to do this breakdown - mainly because of the 5th Line. There’s a theme with the 5th Line where it can attract ‘projections and expectations’ and when these are unmet, sometimes those with the expectations or projections will have something to say or feel some type of way about it. Taylor has certainly had a polarising public image in phases, with people either being a die hard Swifty or very much not (remembering all the snake emojis that flooded her feed for months after the infamous leaked calls) and this aspect of her design highlights the reason behind that. There’s a quote that stood out for me from an acceptance speech she did:
"They’re saying I’m dating too much in my 20s? Okay, I’ll stop, I’ll just be single. For years. Now they’re saying my album Red is filled with too many breakup songs? Okay, okay, I’ll make one about moving to New York and deciding that really my life is more fun with just my friends. Oh, they’re saying my music is changing too much for me to stay in country music? All right. Okay, here’s an entire genre shift and a pop album called 1989. Now it’s that I’m showing you too many pictures of me with my friends, okay, I can stop doing that too. Now I’m actually a calculated manipulator rather than a smart businesswoman? Okay, I’ll disappear from public view for years. Now I’m being cast a villain to you? Okay, here’s an album called Reputation and there are lots of snakes everywhere."
This is such an amazing example of the 5th Line when they lean into embodying the strength of it. She showed the world (in an extremely creative way) that they don’t get to tell her who she is. She won’t accept the projections and expectations as her truth. She’s really taken the things people have tried to throw at her and positively spun it into gold, and with it, taken her power back in the process.
“I am constantly misunderstood; a lot of people just don't get me.”
She’s a Splenic Authority.
The Splenic Authority is a magic one. It's connected to instincts and intuition and is led by the whispers of your inner knowing. She was once quoted as saying: ‘It’s intuition, you have to react quickly. Just go for it, or don’t, but don’t wait’. That pretty much sums up the Splenic Authority quite nicely. I see the Spleen similar to a submarine radar - it’s constantly scanning the environment to give you a ping towards what will support you to thrive (+ survive). Based on the pings, you can make lightening fast decisions that will often defy logic - you’ll just instinctively know. And if there’s one thing we’ve seen in Tay’s career - it’s that she’s followed what’s true to her. Even when it doesn’t make sense to anyone else.
“Growing up is learning to trust your intuition, even if it means going against the expectations of others.”
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