Halfway to Halloween

Damn! I went the whole month of April (and a week or two in March, too) without posting anything.

Following the inundation of rain last month, my posting here got disrupted and I found it difficult to get back on track. Still I've been slowly working on props and learning new techniques at a local make & take group (thanks, Hauntforum, for introducing me to a great bunch of people).

I've been thinking, though, about what it is we do. Of course there's a large component of selfishness that goes into the props we build and the scenes we create. The admiration from family and friends is nice, and there's the part that allows us to have an outlet for whatever creativity we possess that doesn't get a chance to be expressed in other means in our regular lives.

But a large component is the joy and happiness we get from sharing all of this with others. Yes, with our friends, families, and trick-or-treaters, but also with each other. Without the generous nature of others I would never have been able to create -- or even to make the attempt to make -- the props I have, however poor the effort has been to the original design.

Because SpookyBlue (and others) provided some detailed instructions on how to do papier mache, I was able to make ground breakers and can plan for other props to populate my haunt this year. Due to Pumpkinrot's incredible talent, we have a high ideal to shoot for in our own creations, and because of a regular stream of links to other haunters' haunts and props on his site, I've found many other talented artists to emulate. Stolloween has given me some new ideas on where to take papier mache next. The Hauntcast podcast gives me a dose of monthly haunting fun that keeps me occupied -- and smiling -- as I work on my props. And the people I meet with monthly at the M&T have been teaching me new techniques that I can add to my display and take the haunt to another level.

In short, the Halloween community is a very giving one, despite our otherwise selfish reasons for doing what we do.

So, as we've hit the halfway to Halloween marker (shouldn't there be a celebration or something?) I just wanted to thank all my fellow haunters for providing me with the inspiration to take my own haunt to the next level. I have a long way to go to match your level of skill and dedication, but it's a fun journey I don't mind taking. I'm looking forward to the next six months of prop building and then the Big Day. Has it been six months already and do we really only have six more months to go? I gotta go. I've got haunting to do. Thanks!

Rich