Inspiration

Where do you turn to for inspiration? For me it's always been an array of entertainment media such as movies, music, books, and video games. I can remember watching several movies as a child and even as a college student where I was inspired to create.  Other people's ideas and creations became strangely connected to my own. Sometimes the two have been blatantly similar and other times, you wouldn't guess the connection. Many people look at my work and say it reminds them of __________. I usually say they're right because it has to be in there somewhere. One of my favorite quotes is "Originality is undetected plagiarism" by William Ralph Inge. Odds are there is some old inspiration from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hellboy, Robocop, Doom, Macguyver, Mario Bros, or Lord of the Rings in there somewhere.

Lately I have to say the inspirations have been a little lacking. I don't know if this is due in part to my not looking hard enough, or if the creativity is lacking these days. Everyone has been writing about this lately reflecting the movies we see in theaters currently. Everything is a sequel or a remake. There are exceptions such as the movie Inception which as convoluted as some people criticize it for, was an excellent movie. There is an abundance of comic book movies out, which I can't complain about much because I have always loved comics. The quality can vary, but I love the comic book movies anyway. I just don't find myself inspired by truly original and daring content like I used to. Maybe I'm getting older and more jaded, but I'm not finding what I'm looking for these days. Maybe there needs to be some new blood. Maybe the younger group of artists need to create something interesting to inspire people. This leads to the question, when do the inspired become the inspiring? I assume the torch needs to be passed. I hope there are some people to pass the creative torch to, because imagination seems to be in short supply these days. Many artists these days are simply focused upon surviving let alone coming up with their own creative masterpieces. Maslow's hierarchy of needs takes precedence. You have to feed yourself before enjoying the fruits of creativity. I'm not sure the next generation of artists and creators will be there when the torch is being passed. They might have changed careers or given up by that time. I hope that something redeeming starts to happen in our culture to create something to be appreciated and inspire future generations to create that which they imagine.