Collector's Corner: Miranda Enzor

Social media can be a powerful thing.  During the lockdown due to COVID, it became even more of a social outlet due to the inability of us to get out and socialize.  Days could be exceptionally long and somewhat daunting if you were stuck inside all the time.  Fortunately, social media allowed us to connect with one another and find ways feel like we belong.  One of the people I started following is Miranda (@spookylittlehalloween) and I found that what I liked was how ‘real’ she was.  She gets on stories and talks to us (her audience) and I would find that every once in a while, I would actually smile!  Take a minute and get to know Miranda.  You will find she is fun, has some wild, pink hair and enjoy her smile as she takes you on a spooky journey through Halloween!

Tell us a little about yourself and how you got to be a collector.

Miranda is a communications professional by day, @spookylittlehalloween by night.  As a communications manager at a non-profit and former print journalist, she spends a lot of time with words (talk about making me self-conscious!).  Miranda grew up in a family atmosphere that loved decorating each Halloween.  She credits the excitement due to coming after long summers.  Halloween comes first so it seemed to bring the most excitement.  Her mom would lead the family (her and her brother included) in going all out with inside decorations.  She feels the excitement of this season each year is one of the reasons why Halloween is her favorite.

You are all things Halloween…how did that obsession get started and morph into such a successful following?

Once Miranda was out of college and in her own place, she loved decorating her mantle with Halloween goodies.  She found this was what made her happy…so her entire apartment morphed into a Happy Haunting of Halloween displays!  Even in the midst of Covid, she found that likeminded people often gravitated toward one another, so social media became her community, family if you will, on all things Halloween.

I saw on your IG you have over 1000 Halloween cards!  Tell me how that got started!

Miranda start blogging in 2015 as a way to document her Halloween parties.  Her love for content creation evolved and she found there was an appreciation and respect for all the creative minds (written or through art or music).  She loved not only seeing people’s creativity but became passionate about using her blogs as an avenue to share.  In her younger days, she followed bands around the country and again experienced the unity of community:  “It’s ok to be nerdy”!  So nerdy it is, and we all love it!

The Halloween card exchange started a year or two after she started blogging.  She would allow anywhere from 200-500 people to sign up to receive a card from her.  In addition, she would in turn receive a card.  On her Instagram, you can find where she puts about a hundred of them on her wall.  It is quite a vision.

What’s your favorite thing about Halloween?

A lot of people love the act of decorating or baking during the Halloween season.  For Miranda, it is the idea of dressing up.  It is the one time of year you can experience escapism and try on different personas.  A fond memory she told me was when she was little, she dressed in a purple and gold dance costume and felt like she was a 40’s showgirl.  She felt transformed and lived in the moment.  Sometimes it was watching too many movies of a particular genre that inspired her costume…such as a roller-skating waitress, but one thing she found was her love for being someone different (for a day).

How did you start your collection and what are some of the favorite items or artists that you collect?

Miranda has a fabulous list of artists that she collects.  What I like about her list is that they are people I am not familiar with, so I enjoyed going to look and learn about her favorites.  I had bought a piece from one of her favorites due to a blog piece she had written a while back (by the way, you should definitely get on her list for receiving newsletters!!).  One of her absolute favorites is Matthew Woods (@hallowwoods).  Matthew is known for his Pumpkinhead (which she adores). 

Two other artists that Miranda admires are Dark Town Sally and Yosiell Lorenzo (@darktownsally & @yosiell).  Each with their own style, Yosiell has a vintage feel that depicts orphans while Dark Town Sally has some stark red witches against a black matte background. 

Take a look at all of these artists, as they have some stunning work.  Their main focus is around Halloween, so if you are interested in enhancing your Halloween display take a look!

If you could sit down and talk to the artists, what would you want to see more of?

Like a lot of people I talk to, Miranda wants to make sure that each artist remains true to themselves.  She enjoys seeing Halloween through their point of view and wants them to ‘show me’ what they love.  She wants to see ‘them’ through their art so she can enjoy the characteristics of each.  It reminds me of my discussion with David Everett of Chicken Lips in which he states he becomes most vulnerable when putting his artwork out to his collectors.  There is a transparency between what they see and give to us and what we in turn take in.

I truly enjoyed our chat and feel I know Miranda a bit more.  Make sure you give Miranda a follow @spookylittlehalloween.  You will find some fun information, cool videos (watch where she made beetles with @halloweencollector) and find all things Halloween!