“Always start with the theme,” states Molly Gibbons, a midwestern teen with a love for music. If you want your playlist to have a consistent flow you need to set your standards from the start. “You could choose anything from a feeling to a type of weather, you could even base [your playlist] off an object,” Gibbons explains. 

After you have that figured out, you’ll want a visual for the playlist cover, websites like Unsplash have a surplus of copyright-free images that you could use. You’ll also want to write your description. This could be anything from a few sentences to a couple of emojis; you could also use quotes or a copy-paste symbol. 

Now, it’s time for the music. Pick songs that make you think of your theme, that’s rule one. “You need to make sure to have a variety [of songs, artists, and genres] while still staying in your theme,” Gibbons says while giving the second rule. Variety makes the playlist interesting and keeps the listener’s attention; a good way to include this is to add songs and artists you are less familiar with. On Spotify, there is a feature that gives you suggested songs based on your playlist. 

Gibbons has made over a hundred playlists for almost every mood and situation you could think of. She has a passion for music and loves to share it with others. Gibbons also has collaborated on playlists with her friends to get a wider range of music included and just to have some fun.

Another idea you want to think about while you are curating your playlist is what circumstances you would listen to this playlist in. “Think about where you’d listen to it, what mood you have to be in to turn it on, and how it will make you feel,” Gibbons says. 

A playlist is subjective to many things, especially your taste in music, but it is also a good idea to listen to similar playlists to get an idea of what others think would fit in. At the end of the day it is your playlist, add songs that you enjoy and make it your own.