So where does your inspiration come from...? What is inspiration? What is the difference between stealing and being inspired by? Questions, every creative will continuously ask themselves or at least should be. Being inspired is truly unique for each and every person, as really anything can be inspiring. Personal life events, or reminders of good memories, colors and music, seeing the way others create etc...
Being inspired can be tricky though, when is it "copy-cat" or too close to someone else's work? Especially in the visual world we live in today. It was in a book once, something like this...
“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is
that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”
For me inspiration comes from staring into the ocean and thinking about all the life I can't see. Music puts me into the correct mood depending on the style of work I am going for. You want something dark from me... I can handle some black metal. Being someone that is passionate about action sports and the outdoors, I am constantly being pushed and inspired. In fact the first time I realize what graphics were, was in the eighth grade flipping through the old "CCS" and "CSE" skate catalogs. Wanting to own every deck, simple because the graphics were so on point. They spoke to us and connected to our punk rock thoughts and emotions.
FLAMEBOY... YOU'RE BURNED INTO MY HEAD!
For me I try to create things that make me laugh and think, I constantly worry that I am creating something that someone already has and would hate to look as if I had copied something... Though I have been accused of it twice! It was a pretty hard thing to swallow as I knew I would never claim someone else's work. I have way to much respect for creatives for one, on top of knowing 100% what the artist struggle is like. Nothing I said was convincing enough and in the end I felt like a turd, just because someone "thought" I cheated. I hated that feeling and truly these days it's what drives me to be that much better. People will accuse you out of jealousy or their own inner battles, try to claim they did it first, in the end turn it into what drives you. Focus on you and doing you, do what drives you and create things that inspire others. I am an artist of over 20 years and I still trace at times, I constantly focus on understanding how others created a piece in order to make myself better. When someone copies my work I take it as a pat on the back, I am obviously doing something right!