Hi Friends,

This week’s creative lesson is about moving forward as a way to break through creative blocks—inspired by Meet the Robinsons. I’m also sharing a new art piece, a couple of movie recommendations (from a Halloween favorite to a heartfelt drama), the music I’ve had on repeat, and some updates on my book.

Let’s get into it!

♡ Caitlyn

🎨 Title: Lighting Myself On Fire (To Keep Others Warm)

This new piece was inspired by a saying I love: “You can’t light yourself on fire to keep others warm.”

I pictured a person holding a lit match, about to ignite themselves—and then I took it further. In the piece, the person’s head is already ablaze. It’s a way of showing how often we burn ourselves up long before we consciously realize it.

Sometimes we love others so much that we don’t notice we’re suffering in the process. This work is a reminder: self-sacrifice can creep in quietly, and by the time we see the flames, we’re already on fire.

Since we’re officially in the Halloween season, I have to share my all-time favorite horror movie. Now, plenty of horror enthusiasts might argue that Get Out isn’t really horror… let them fight me.

Get Out (2017) is, hands down, my favorite horror film ever. The acting, the original score, and the plot all come together in this rare, near-perfect combination. Jordan Peele absolutely outdid himself with this one.

If you’ve never seen it and you’re looking for a good October watch, put it on your list—it’s so much more than just another scary movie.

I like to include one film that isn’t horror or sci-fi, and recently we watched Mending The Line (2022). I’m tearing up just thinking about it.

As someone who has personally found so much comfort, solace, and purpose in nature, this story about fly fishing as a path to healing—for veterans and for anyone carrying grief—moved me. It’s a beautiful, tender film that stays with you.

Creative Lesson: Keep Moving Forward.

Our son, Brooks, has been obsessed with the movie Meet the Robinsons lately. If you’re not familiar, it’s a Disney film about a brilliant but lonely boy who travels into the future, meets an eccentric family, and learns that failure isn’t the end—it’s part of the journey. The story’s philosophy is simple but powerful: keep moving forward.

Brooks’ infatuation with this movie feels serendipitous, because I often find myself getting stuck. Like most people, I replay loops in my mind—what happened, what should have happened, what could have happened. I think about what I could have done differently or better.

But the people I admire most, the truly successful ones, have mastered a different skill: they move forward. That’s what I’ve been working on lately. Not dwelling on the book I’ve already written, but showing up to write the next one. Not lingering on the last piece of art, but making the next. Step by step, day by day, moving forward. Forcing myself forward has consistently brought the best things into my life.

At a recent book signing, someone asked how I get through creative blocks. My answer was simple: “I just keep working.” No matter what, I move forward and show up every day—even when I don’t feel like it. Because if I let my emotions take over, I’d stay stuck in the mud, watching life pass me by.

Fittingly, the movie closes each night with a Walt Disney quote on our TV screen:

“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

It’s a reminder: you are never stuck. Even when the urge to ruminate pulls you back—or fear tempts you to stop—the way through is always the same: keep moving forward. That’s life.

Lately I’ve been listening to the musician NF nonstop. His lyricism is so raw, emotional, and brutal. I love that. I have tremendous respect for any artist who can honestly share their emotions, and NF does that.

His music is perfect for the gym, or anytime you need to hype yourself up and find that inner growl again. “The Search” is an mind-blowingly incredible song, and one of the songs he’s most known for (so check it out), but I’ve linked “Hope” above because it’s one of my personal favorites. Here are some of the lyrics:

I can’t thank you enough for all the support around my debut supernatural thriller, One Red Arrow, Part I. Every message, every share, every review, every order—it all helps so much. If you’ve read the book, I’d be so grateful if you left a quick Amazon and/or Goodreads review. For those of you who have read the book—Part II is in the works! :)

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