<a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=10196" rel="attachment wp-att-10196"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-10196" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/P3170002-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a>I was surfing around the Internet one day and came across a celebration whose name stopped me in my tracks:

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<span style="font-size: medium; color: #0000ff;"><strong>The Festival of Creativity.</strong></span>

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How could anyone even remotely creative NOT attend a festival with a title like that?

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What is a Festival of Creativity, you ask?  I entertained the same question.  My fellow creative friend, Melanie, and I took it upon ourselves to explore the answer.

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First of all, there were mimes.  Lots of them.  Colorful ones.  Mimes are (thankfully) not as creepy as clowns, although they are still mildly unnerving.

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<a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=10197" rel="attachment wp-att-10197"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-10197" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/P3170007-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=10198" rel="attachment wp-att-10198"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-10198" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/P3170008-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>

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I believe that my sister and I suffer post-traumatic clown trauma because we belong to the generation that grew up watching <strong><em><a href="http://www.smashinglists.com/top-10-famous-badass-clowns/" target="_blank">Poltergeist</a></em></strong>.

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Which is why I tried to remain calm when I stumbled across The Leprechaun Clown on Human Growth Hormone.

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<a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=10203" rel="attachment wp-att-10203"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-10203" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/P3170011-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a><a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=10204" rel="attachment wp-att-10204"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-10204" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/P3170013-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a>

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I dealt with my panic by taking a photo from an interesting angle.  Humor is always healing.

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Moving right along. . . .

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There was an origami table crowded with young children!  I elbowed my way in and parked my hiney next to a 10 year-old.  Adults play too, you know!

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<a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=10205" rel="attachment wp-att-10205"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-10205" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/P3170016-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>

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The directions were labeled as "Expert", but since this was child's play, I figured this would be a snap.

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<a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=10206" rel="attachment wp-att-10206"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-10206" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/P3170017-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>

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Uh . . . . no.  I was wrong.  And since I'm adult, I can admit that.  :-D

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<a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=10207" rel="attachment wp-att-10207"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-10207" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/P3170021-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=10208" rel="attachment wp-att-10208"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-10208" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/P3170022-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>

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Let's see, there was also live music to soak in, homemade instruments to play, sidewalk art to jump into just like in Mary Poppins (Oh, how I wish that were true!), a ten foot tall Lego cactus which I had fantasies of knocking down . . . .

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<a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=10209" rel="attachment wp-att-10209"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-10209" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/P3170010-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a>

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I am not sure what overcame me -- perhaps it was because the place was crawling with wee ones -- but I actually verbalized to Melanie, "Wouldn't it be funny if little Johnny got loose from his mom and demolished that sucker?"

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Melanie looked at me as if I had gone mad.

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I have a warped sense of humor.

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Moving right along . . . .

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I found this amusing as well.  Kids spazzing out at the cactus instrument thingie.  See little Janie waving that cactus branch?  She was trying to hit someone with it while mom is completely oblivious.  Heh heh heh.

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Upon exiting the premises, two of the oldest kids at the festival left their marks on the chalkboard cactus.  (I live in a desert, peeps.  Thus, the plethora of cacti both real and fake.)

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<a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=10212" rel="attachment wp-att-10212"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-10212" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/P3170028-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/?attachment_id=10213" rel="attachment wp-att-10213"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-10213" title="OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" src="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/P3170031-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>

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Were Melanie and I inspired to get out there and CREATE?

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Perhaps.

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We used to be singing partners, and we've talked ad nauseum about going out on the road for a World Tour.

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Which is a joke.

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But Melanie and I <em>have</em> talked about recording a few of our old duets.

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Sniff, sniff.  I smell a future playdate.  You will be the first to hear when we get our act together and take it on the road.

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What do you want to create?  Please share in the comments section below.

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