bm tim atb taylor By Lisa Richwine
In one of her moments on stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Swift encouraged artists to give themselves time to learn a craft without seeking immediate feedback on the Internet. The singer said she had spent "thousands of hours" as a teenager playing her guitar, writing songs, making mistakes and learning from them – in private.
"I'm a firm believer that anything you feed your mind, it will internalize, and anything you feed the Internet it will attempt to kill," she said as she held the album of the year trophy. "And I don't want that for your dreams."
Swift, who wore a seafoam green velvet corset and matching miniskirt with light pink bead accents, also took home awards including song of the year and best music video for "The Fate of Ophelia."
Olympic figure skating gold medalist Alysa Liu presented the artist of the year award to Swift, who gushed about Liu's Olympic performance. "You brought me so much happiness," Swift said.
Earlier, Swift told the crowd that "Showgirl" was inspired by the positivity she felt from fans on her record-breaking Eras Tour.
"The album came out with this energy of just feeling really happy and strong and confident and free. And so I want to say thank you to the fans for giving me that feeling," Swift said.
Her daily life with fiance Travis Kelce provides similar energy, Swift said. "So thanks for all the vibes," she said to the NFL star, who was seated in the front row wearing a brown leather jacket. The pair announced their engagement in August.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Kate Mayberry)