So High School/ The Alchemy

Inspired by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in London, I painted the scene where Travis Kelce carries Taylor on stage. For those who aren’t familiar with the Eras Tour, it was a bit she did as part of an outfit change during her show.

She had just finished her song “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” where she appears to “drop dead” from heartbreak and exhaustion from putting her all into her past relationship and getting nothing in return. Usually, her dancers are the ones who carry her back up the stage to “revive” her because the show must go on… even with a broken heart (which leads into her next song, “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart”). But in this instance, she had her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, carry her up the stage and bring her back to life. It is momentous because Travis literally lifted her up after her past relationship with the “smallest man who ever lived” and showed her what true love is. He has shown nothing but support for her during their relationship and is giving her all the love she deserves. To top it off she's doing this tour in London, the city where her ex-boyfriend is from. Despite the potential emotional difficulty of returning to London, she decides to rewrite the narrative. She may have started the tour with a broken heart, but now she's coming back stronger than ever. Needless to say, it was a big poetic moment that all the Swifties swooned over.

I wanted to incorporate the two songs in this Era that are about her current relationship with Travis Kelce which is “So High School” and “The Alchemy.” I put the lyrics of both songs as the background for this vinyl art. I even used a font that was similar to a typewriter since this is from her Tortured Poets Department album. And of course, I had to add some glitter on her jacket because she is always dazzling when she is on stage.

This moment in her tour is more than just Travis Kelce carrying an emotionally “dead” Taylor Swift; it’s about finding love again after heartbreak. It’s about the knight in shining armor (or in this case in a tuxedo and top hat) swooping in to save the damsel in distress.