The Cosmic Pumpkin... Is shining your light a scary thought?

One of my neighbors always carves a HUGE pumpkin every Halloween. He spends an afternoon lovingly turning the pumpkin into a big smiling face, then he loads it up with candles and lights them. Other neighbors, including myself, have often opted to set a couple of un-carved pumpkins on our porch and call it good. This Halloween, I found the un-carved pumpkin unacceptable to me. I wanted funny glowing, shining pumpkins greeting me and Trick or Treaters as we walked up to my front door. This led me to this week's project...Pumpkin carving. It was another fun project. Cheap, easy bit of creative play. I even roasted the seeds this year. I also went for the Martha Stewart's relief carving on a couple of them. This wasn't a stretch for me that this creative project would put me in a positive frame of mind. As I carved my pumpkins some thoughts came to mind.

What came to me was... putting out a lighted carved pumpkin out on my porch is like saying to the world,             “Creativity lives here.” It's a simple symbol of creativity and creative expression.  Really every pumpkin face makes me smile.

Since starting this campaign only three short weeks ago, some people have commented to me that this is all okay for me because I'm creative or I allow myself to play or they just don't get how this campaign could mean anything to them or they just don't get it.

Say what??!! I believe we are all creative. I've often said that even cavemen, once they had security needs met, they started to draw on the cave walls, created more effective ways to get food and warmth, and invented the wheel. We all have a desire to express our selves creatively Some of us know this with every core of our being. Some of us know the little glimmer of this. Some of us this idea is big and scary, so we deny it with a “I'm just not creative.” or ”I just don't have the time." or "Someday when it's just right." (someone please tell me here what just right looks like?)

The cool thing about this idea of all of us being creative is, we all express ourselves differently. The medium may be the same but the expression is different. There are a million and one ways for creative expression. Be it a painting, a short short, a costume, an engaging conversation, a wonderfully yummy meal, a clean cupboard, a finely scrubbed floor, a beautiful spread sheet, a story read to a child...on and on. I hope you get the idea here. There are always opportunities for creative expression. There are unlimited number of creative ideas in one person and billions of people in the world. If every person in the world tapped into and expressed just one of those unlimited ideas...Wow! We would hit the creative mother load! I have to think the world would go into a collective sigh of peace, especially if these creatively expressed ideas were also positive in nature. From that place of a positive creative peace, more ideas would step forth. More creative expression. More Wow! Exciting! Why would anyone hold back from being apart of that? It's bigger than any fear or artist block. Your simple act of creative expression contributing to peace in the world. Shining forth.  Your creative expression is an important part of you and your human experience.  I can only speak for myself, but I want to see what you have to express!  It speaks volumes to me, even the simpliest expresssion.  It adds to my life. It inspires me.  I have a feeling I'm not alone here.


How to start? Scared to start? Big questions here, and good way to get blocked and not do or create anything.  I'd like to suggest the idea of Allowing.  It's about allowing. Knowing that even if you attempt to block the flow of creativity, it's going to come out in some way. Perhaps in less than happy or attractive ways. So allow it to flow. Why not start by allowing the discovery of your talents? Once you decide the positive creative expression or expressions that bring light, joy and a smile to your face and in your heart...let them shine from you. Fully and completely with no holding back. For all the world to see, share and enjoy. It's really very simple, and most of all fun. Very much like happy shining pumpkin faces sitting on a porch at Halloween.
Happy Halloween! Can't wait to see what comes of this!  Until next week...create to feel great.
Oh, I have one more pumpkin to carve.  I better get going here!