Texas + Cocaine + Dancing

It’s a masterpiece. Every bit of this song takes me on a journey I didn’t know I wanted to go on, to a place I didn’t know existed, with people I didn’t know I wanted to meet.

It’s strange. It’s wild. It’s outrageously fun. 

Cocaine Country Dancing provides such a specific visual matched with Paul Cauthen’s voice, and the music transports me. It’s the 1980s in Dallas, Texas. The hair is big, the clothes glitter, greed’s in vogue, and a limo drops them off at the club. 

I smell the cigarettes. Hear the clinking glasses. See the cocaine-thin people dancing. The era no longer exists, or maybe it never did. 

xoxoLibby 

__________

Get creating.

Themes.

Decade of Decadence • wealth • greed • glamour • tumultuous relationships

food. 

diet pills • steak Diane • shrimp cocktail • crème brûlée 

color palette.

clothes.

listen.

experience.

Go dancing. Host a theme party. Do something social outside of your comfort zone. (No drugs required.)

watch. 

Dallas streaming on Amazon

Billions streaming on Netflix, Amazon, Showtime 

share. 

Share what you create with me on Instagram, tag me @libby.caruso on Instagram.

If it’s art, share your art and title your creation in the caption. 

If it’s a story, create a post with your favorite line or two. 

Twist & Shout – It’s a cookbook!

What did you think when you read the title? Did the song pop into your head and start playing on a loop? Did you start tapping your foot? 

How about when you read, “It’s a cookbook!” Where did your mind go then? Are you in on the joke? 

Laughs. Scares. Twists. Double-Takes. We create emotional rollercoasters to tell our stories and take our audiences to new, hopefully unexpected, places. 

Since our brains constantly search for connections and patterns, we creators can exploit this feature. We can use the conditioning we’ve all experienced to surprise our audiences and keep them captivated.

Deconstruct your favorite plot twists. What patterns and assumptions did the creator exploit in you? How can you use this information to improve your craft? 

xoxoLibby

Get creating.

themes.

plot twists • illusion • delusion • fraud • frenzy • alien

food.

Sour Patch Kids • Soylent • Mexican hot chocolate • Beyond Burgers

color palette.

experience.

After you’ve deconstructed your favorite plot twists. Take the information you’ve learned and apply it. Challenge yourself to read or watch a new mystery or work with a twist. 

See if you can figure out the twist by challenging your own assumptions. Note what assumptions were correct and which were completely off base. 

watch.

“To Serve Man” (season 3, episode 24) Twilight Zone (1959) – Paramount+, Amazon

listen.

share.

Share what you create with me on Instagram, tag me @libby.caruso on Instagram.

If it’s art, share your art and title your creation in the caption. 

If it’s a story, create a post with your favorite line or two. 

The sheets in Rivendell

What do the sheets in Rivendell smell like? Lavender? Lemon? Something elvish and divine we can only dream of experiencing?

When reading or enjoying art, I find myself drifting into these details. Do they smell like smoke? Pine? Maybe, rose water? Is the room stuffy or breezy?

Excellent storytelling embraces details while giving the audience space to dream and fill in these blanks. But, that doesn’t mean the creator has to overlook those details.

Sit with your ideas and allow your imagination to drift -err waft- to the scents that add depth to your creations. You don’t have to write out every detail, but this can help you connect with your work more deeply.

xoxoLibby.

Get creating.

themes.

nature • love • unexpected memories • epic journey • heroes • unfamiliar places • connected destiny

food.

fresh baked cookies • lemon curd • street vendor snacks • brewing coffee • wine

color palette.

songs.

experience.

Go into your spice cabinet and take time to smell individual spices. Ask yourself these questions:

  • who does it remind you of?
  • what food do you think of?
  • what color should it be?
  • where does it come from?
  • who grows, harvests, and gets it to your home?
  • what memories, if any, are tied to that smell?

watch.

I give you permission to rewatch the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and throw in the Hobbit Trilogy for funsies.

Lord of the Rings Trilogy – HBO Max and Amazon Prime

The Hobbit Trilogy – HBO Max

share.

I want to see what you create on Instagram, tag me @libby.caruso on Instagram.

If it’s art, share your art and title your creation in the caption.

If it’s a story, create a post with your favorite line. Share three sentences of your story in your caption.

The Rain King reigns supreme

My home in the cold, dark, snowy north slowly starts to awaken in April. Between muddy streets and rainy days, glorious bursts of spring air remind me that summer will arrive.

I also get an itch to rewatch my favorite X-Files episode, “The Rain King,” an episode drenched in sickly sweet love that leaves me happy and ready to create. It tells the story of a man whose unrequited love controls the weather in a small rural town. The episode ends in a perfectly placed rainbow.

We all deserve a rainbow (double rainbow even).

xoxoLibby.

Get Creating.

themes.

rainbow • king • rain • humans controlling weather • true love • happily-ever-after • unexpected protagonist

food.

jelly beans • chocolate • cheap beer

color palette.

muted rainbow

songs.

experience.

On the next dreary, rainy day, queue up your playlist, watch the raindrops roll down your window and daydream up a love story.  

watch.

“The Rain King” (season 6, episode 8) X-Files – Hulu, Amazon

Share.

I want to see what you create on Instagram, tag me @libby.caruso on Instagram.

If it’s art, share your art and title your creation in the caption. 

If it’s a story, create a post with your favorite line. Share three sentences of your story in your caption.