Brace yourself. This is a big one (that’s what she said, hahaha – sorry). Also, some major spoilers might be included in any of the items listed on the influence map. You have been warned.
The thing about inspiration is that it strikes at really weird–and usually inopportune–moments. A certain music track can send the creative side of your brain into overdrive, or you see a film and realise that the amazing idea you had last week was already done in 1990. Best yet are in the minutes before you’re about to drift away into dreamland, your brain jerks you awake to the chimes of “Hey, bitch! I just figured out how to sort out that plot hole you’ve been crying about for a month. Don’t go back to sleep or you’ll forget it!”
That’s why I’m so thankful for my iPhone. I keep the Notes app on the home page, and at the minute there are easily twenty or so notes, ideas that I’ve had at 3AM, woken from a dream or just while sitting on the toilet (and don’t act all high and mighty like you don’t use your phone on the toilet, alright? Everybody does.).
They’re not all amazing ideas, of course. But the thing about ideas as opposed to finished goods is that you’re allowed to have bad ones. Besides, Muse works hard as a net to catch the shit ideas, so any new ones I get don’t tend to be developed until I’ve had the green light from her.
Anyway, the point I’m skirting around is this nifty little influence map thing I came across quite a long time ago on Deviant Art, which I’ve just now got around to filling in. Having a reminder of the things that inspire you can come in super handy when you’re having a difficult day, a reminder why you love the things you do.
Really long and overblown explanations for my choices are below. Despite the guidance at the bottom of the map, the size of the images doesn’t really correlate with the amount of influence these things have: it’s just that certain ones looked cooler in difference shapes and sizes.
Also, after completing the map, I then got a bit carried away and made a video about some of them. So now that exists.