Ah, October—the one month of the year where it’s socially acceptable to embrace your inner weirdo. The season of ghosts, ghouls, and gory décor is also a ripe opportunity to inject a bit of macabre magic into your creative practice. So, how can you tap into that spooky energy and create something equally ghastly and genius? Welcome to the dark side of creativity.
Summon the spirits (or just your sketchbook): First things first, you’ll need to invite the spirits in. By spirits, I don’t mean your Uncle Bob who passed on three years ago and still insists on showing up at family dinners (we’ll save séances for another time). No, I mean the spirits of inspiration—those ethereal beings that float just beyond the reach of your usual ho-hum creative routine.
Light a candle. Grab a glass of wine—preferably red for effect—and open your sketchbook or laptop. The flickering candlelight will provide just enough moody ambience to make you feel like an artistic savant... or at least someone who's watched too many horror films. Either way, you’re on the right track.
Create a colour palette to die for: Now, let’s talk colour. Halloween’s gift to creatives is an excuse to dabble in delightfully grotesque hues. Swap out your usual pastels for a palette that screams murder mystery. Think blood reds, deathly blacks, and a nice bruised purple for that freshly undead look. Don’t be afraid to throw in some sickly greens if you’re going for a full zombie apocalypse vibe. After all, nothing says "artistic depth" quite like the colour of decay.
Go grave robbing... For inspiration, obviously! Every creative genius knows that a bit of thievery is all part of the process. (Shakespeare nicked half his plots, so don’t feel guilty.) This Halloween, why not dig up some fresh inspiration by revisiting those classic horror tropes? Ghosts, vampires, mad scientists—it’s all prime material for your next masterpiece. And the best part? You don’t even have to hide your influences; it’s Halloween, darling, everyone’s recycling the same three spooky ideas.
Feel free to rip off gothic literature, horror films, or even that weird ghost story your grandmother used to tell. Just remember to seek inspiration from many sources (and not one). It all goes in the cauldron of creativity.
Embrace the dark (and your deadlines): Let’s face it, deadlines are the stuff of nightmares. Nothing gets the blood pumping quite like the looming dread of a project that’s not yet done. But rather than flee in terror, why not lean into that horror? Imagine your deadline is an angry poltergeist that will wreck your entire creative world if you don’t finish your project on time. Channel that sheer panic into something productive. After all, fear is a fabulous motivator.
The final curse: Let it be weird: Halloween is the time to go all out. Your artwork doesn’t need to make sense—hell, half the films about haunted houses don’t either. So why not embrace the absurdity? Let your work be as strange as the contents of a witch’s brew. Throw in some bats, a skeleton or two, and a grotesque twist that no one saw coming. The weirder, the better.
And when all’s said and done, sit back and admire your monstrous creation. Sure, it may be a bit disturbing, but isn’t that the point?
This Halloween month, give your inner ghoul a seat at the creative table and see what dark wonders it conjures up.
After all, there’s a little bit of Frankenstein in every artist.
Happy haunting!
x Victoria
About Victoria Hall
Victoria Hall is an English-born writer and illustrator with a passion for anything gothic, eccentric or quirky. You can follow Victoria on Instagram or check out her bio here.
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