When Passion Becomes an Act of Creation
Editor’s Note": This article was submitted in French and translated to English.
A Creative Perspective by: Claude Dallas
There are passions that have accompanied us since childhood and that, one day, find an unexpected means of expression. I was 10 years old in 1981 when I started collecting newspaper articles and pasting photos of actors in a school notebook. Later, I collected objects and participated in conventions where I could exhibit them. In 2007, I even wrote a small book that was published in 500 copies, and that I had the chance to give to the actors during one of their visits to France. And since 2023, I have dedicated a website and a blog to it.
At first, it was simply a matter of sharing my attachment to the great American television sagas of the 80s…Dallas, of course, then Falcon Crest and Dynasty, these soap operas with majestic opening credits and larger-than-life characters.
But very quickly, I understood that I wasn't just writing about these series. I was creating an extension of them. My site has (all things considered) become a work of its own, with its own aesthetic choices, structure, and tone. In other words, a truly creative process.
To create is to give form to a passion
Every creative project begins with an impulse, a desire to explore. For me, this fascination was first expressed by the need to understand why these series had marked me: what makes Dallas so much more than a simple story of family rivalries? Why do so many viewers still remember a theme song, a plot, a character? A surrogate family, not perfect, but ideal?
It was by seeking to answer these questions that I began to write. And as is often the case in creation, the more I discover, the more I want to see.
Creating a blog on such a rich subject is a game of construction: you choose the theme, the direction, you arrange the sections, the series, the articles, and above all, you decorate according to your sensibility. Each choice—typography, image, title, tone of writing—becomes an interpretation. My goal is not only to inform, but to convey an emotion, an atmosphere, a connection.
The blog as a creative workshop
I didn't want my blog to be a simple publishing space. For me, it's a truly creative workshop, at the crossroads of several disciplines: writing, research, layout, iconography, not to mention the technical aspect that I explored in parallel.
Each article is a small production in its own right. I start with an idea—a striking plot, a forgotten actor, an emblematic filming location, or a news item—and I try to tell a story that will surprise or reveal even to the most dedicated fan a little-known aspect of this universe. For example, I discovered a vacation rental inspired by Falcon Crest and found a very famous singer in France who made a brief appearance in a scene from Dallas.
I sometimes spend hours searching for a vintage photo or finding information about a location seen in the series. This meticulous work isn't just about documentation; it's a way of bringing a world back to life, of reconstructing it piece by piece, like a set that's being lit again.
I also try to keep this European eye and, with my little culture, to explain to my compatriots certain cultural differences, certain details which seem obvious to an American, but which must be explained to a Frenchman.
And as with any creation, there are technical constraints: SEO, loading speed, image formats... but these constraints often become creative stimuli. Finding the best way to tell a story within a limited framework is precisely what drives invention.
Creativity as living memory
Creating is also about preserving. When I started this blog, my main goal was to prevent these series from falling into oblivion. But over time, I realized that the approach went far beyond nostalgia: it was about bringing this era, these characters, these stories back to life, with a modern perspective.
In a fast-paced digital world where attention is scattered, a project like this requires consistency and fidelity. These qualities, perceived as going against the grain, are, in my eyes, profoundly creative: they allow for long-term construction and the refinement of a vision. My blog has thus become an evolving work, never static. I constantly return to it, adding to it, improving it, and linking the pages together.
Creativity isn't just about invention: it's about connections. Connecting memories and emotions, past and present, popular culture and more academic culture, and of course, personal reflection.
These great sagas connect generations; they speak as much about power and money as they do about family, love, and loyalty. My blog has the same ambition: to connect yesterday's enthusiasts with today's curious viewers, those who experienced these series on television with those who discover them via streaming.
To create is to prolong. To prolong an emotion, an admiration, a story. My blog is not just a tribute to Dallas,Dynasty, or Falcon Crest; it's a way to draw from them a universal lesson about creativity: we never create from nothing, we always create with—with what inspires us, with what moves us, with what connects us to others.
And perhaps this is the most beautiful message that these series have conveyed, without obscuring the material and pecuniary aspect: behind the sumptuous sets and flamboyant plots, there are always creators who, too, had a passion to share.
Today, it is my turn to bring it to life — through writing, through images, through memory — in this digital space, my site , which I invite you to explore, discover or rediscover…
Author Bio:
I am a French administrative officer whose 45-year passion for Dallas and lavish American television sagas has led me to write books, travel, discover, and finally share through my blog with other enthusiasts like myself.
