I have to admit, I have been a bit mystified by adults who are infatuated with Halloween. In my journey to explore creativity this year, maybe I get it, maybe I understand why.
Celebrating Halloween as an adult allows adults to do, say, and create things that break the rules of being an adult. They can dress in theatrical way, and not be seen as weird. They can decorate and be creative - there are few rules about what is an acceptable Halloween decoration - it allows adults to be comfortable being creative. It allows the freedom to be wicked, to be naughty, even a little devilish.
Most of us, allow society's norms, to constrain our creativity. For some Halloween is an exception, they are free from the shackles of daily adult life, and can be as strange or weird as they want to be for a day or two.
In our creative lives we need to give ourselves permission to be weird all of the time. Paint the weird painting, create a drawing that breaks all of the rules, sing off tune, write what you think, sentence fragments and offbeat punctuation, that reflect what flows out of your mind. We discover what we can do, by doing things that break the rules, things that ignore the norms.
Use Halloween as the perfect excuse to be weird and offbeat, and treat every creative day as Halloween.
Oh, that last photo!
ReplyDeleteLost his head
DeleteWell, I like the last photograph. Very Creative.
ReplyDeleteAn afternoon stroll in Old Town Alexandria
DeleteMy daughter-in-law loves, loves, LOVES Halloween. It was her dream to be married on Halloween. Today she and my son are celebrating their first anniversary.
ReplyDeleteI hope she throws a huge costume party every year.
DeleteYou're absolutely right! Plus, Halloween is cheap therapy for our hidden fears.
ReplyDeleteHidden fears?
DeleteI think it's a chance to act the fool in while costumes, but I manage that almost every day sooooo ....
ReplyDeleteLet our freak flags wave everyday!
DeleteI've got my bowl of treats ready.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have lots of fun.
DeleteIt is a festival of permitted deviance; many, many cultures have had at least one throughout history. I think at least part of the surge in popularity is the tension of modern society and the feeling of being trapped in it and being powerless to change it -- which reminds me, if you're a US citizen: VOTE -- Halloween is a temporary escape, a permitted violation of the rules, a brief sojourn to a different reality.
ReplyDeleteSome of us are always a little deviant.
DeleteYou found some great decorations! I'm off later today to see "Frankenstein". The Phoenix Art Museum is showing a filmed version of the recent play filmed in London. Should be fun.
ReplyDeleteThat neighborhood is dense with good decorations.
DeletePlayfulness, imagination, and transformation - hallmarks of art, Halloween, and Carnival. Let the good human spirit out so that it frightens the evil out of this world.
ReplyDeleteWill Jay
May that spirit hold through Tuesday's' election.
DeleteEmbrace the spirits I say!!!!
ReplyDeleteA Happy Hallows to you both dear!
ps. I got the sweet Hallow greeting!!!!