So... i completely lack fantasy and creativity in my brain. i love to work on art so much, but i am relizing more and more that all my "original ideas" are just regurgitated things i have seen before. and i know most creativity stems from reusing things that have existed before, but i feel like i lack even the most basic creativity.
I have tried reading more books, watching more movies, i have tried so hard to just develop originality, but i can't. but i really want to. is there anything you guys do that keeps you thinking and inspired?
>>2560758
What are you interested in outside of art? Is there a particular place and time in history that fascinates you? A vacation you took one time where you saw some cool shit? Something you saw in a museum? A type of animal or other thing from nature that you think looks cool? Another hobby? Are you into guitar? Motorcycles? etc.
There are all sorts of things that I am interested in or that I find aesthetically pleasing that have nothing to do with art/movies/video games. Drawing upon those things for inspiration probably helps keep from becoming too artistically inbred.
>>2560764
i am really interested in history, otherwise im mentally pretty empty i guess, art is the only thing im always spending my time with... i would love to draw more history stuff, but i always stop myself because all the poses/thumbnails always look the same.. and then i still end up drawing the same boring portraits, but it ends up being fanart or some boring character.
i wish i could travel to some cool historic locations for inspirations, but thats a bit out of the question at the moment..
i appreciate your advice though, there is definitely truth to what you say
>>2560758
>but i am relizing more and more that all my "original ideas" are just regurgitated things i have seen before
See, there's your problem. You're too self conscious, you start being creative and then you stop when you realize it's no good. Don't do that. Whatever stupid shit you come up with, follow through with it. Sketch it out, plan it out, do thumbnails, whatever. It doesn't matter if it sucks. What does matter is that you keep doing that though, because if you do, eventually you'll hit on to something you actually like. That's all creativity is, generating as many ideas as you can and keeping the good ones. I'm always writing stuff down, most of it will probably NEVER see the light of day. But that's okay, because as long as you keep the creative juices flowing they'll keep flowing, and that's what matters.
A quote I like is "creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes, art is knowing which ones to keep". It's great you like history too, there's always fun stuff to draw from there. Also, check out this vid:
https://youtu.be/fww9L7XH8Qg
Sometimes, creativity is doing something as simple as drawing a big fish.
>>2560758
>but i am relizing more and more that all my "original ideas" are just regurgitated things i have seen before.
The sooner you realize that 99% of all the "original ideas" you see are just regurgitated things the artist has seen before, the better. The fact is just that usually the things you used to create your 'original' piece aren't as obvious to others as they are to you.
Regurgitate all you like. Take two things you like, shamelessly mash them together. That's most of what creativity is. Most 'creative' things that are "100% OC do not steal completely original" are fucking stupid, all the best 'creative' works are inspired by other things, whether it be history, mythology, or even contemporary stuff.
Don't fret over being derivative. I fucking guarantee you, if you just draw inspiration from things you like, even if they're similar to what you drew it from, it'll still be a hundred times better than something you made for the sake of trying to be different.
>>2560758
Everything is based on something.
That's how innovation works.
Creativity is just something that can be practiced over time.
Someone who needs to redesign a pencil sharpener in an interesting way might have more trouble if that person hasn't practiced creative thinking, in comparison to someone who constantly works his creative mind.
Just look at any Product design book and go to this history section. There's millions of different, creative ways to design a toaster...but it's still a toaster, and it still toasts bread. What made these designs different? The fact that each artist focused on a different element of the toaster or played around with idea of HOW bread can be toasted.
A creative idea is just expanding upon or working out how to make something different from the rest. Designers are constantly trying to figure out what's "fresh" in the general population. You don't want to create something that seems "now" because the trend will eventually end and your design will go down with it.
Just relax, and keep doing studies of armors, different soldiers, weapons etc. Expand your visual library and constantly work out your creative thinking. You'll be fine, but it will take time, so be patient.
>>2561846
This.
Also ur projects will evolve as you plan, you'll have original little ideas to apply to the concept, and eventually with enough work it'll become wholey your own, with only the influences of what you started with left.
" Thinking more of sincerity than originality, conscious that originality that is not the product of sincerity is but peculiarity, and that sincerity alone points the road to the only originality anyone is capable of. "
>>2563779
Of course, the most original things are made by peculiar people being sincere.
>>2561846
>"creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes, art is knowing which ones to keep."
Too bad more people on here don't take that to heart.
>>2561864
Top kek
Just smoke weed once a week fgt
>>2561864
that reminds me so much of the end of evangelion poster holy shit
>>2564505
that is the point
>>2561864
is this the inspiration behind neon genesis evangelion movie?
One route is something I hesitate to recommend,because not every mind can handle it,although it did wonders for me. If it can be found,if it can be trusted to be real,and if you have the resources and time and solitude to devote to it,LSD can be useful. To me,it was the difference between a Black and White TV with 13 channels and rabbit ear reception and suddenly having 1000 channel satellite cable on a widescreen. You can experience only so much,but what you do encounter you can toss on paper so it doesn't utterly dissappear on you. A similar,and legal route,is Garlic. Yes,the spice: a chemical in it promotes vivid dreaming,so all you need do is cook up a dinner with a lot of fresh cloves,eat and sleep,and have a sketchbook next to your bed to record the snatches of imagry that embed themselves in your head upon waking.
Also,since you seem bothered by stagnation in imagination,try some excercises with what you do know. Focus on a character,and draw it in different situations. Fred the barbarian...fighting a Dragon,Fighting a Zombie,drinking in a tavern,contemplating a scene of carnage,of beauty,and of comforting familiarity. Detail some aspect of his life through images:his favorite weapon,his stance,his bits of outfit unique to him like a ring or shield. These are familiar tropes,done a thousand times...but NOT by Y-O-U. As you become familiar with this character,you will begin piecing together a world around him,reasons for his fights and what he is fighting,what a typical village looks like,even the fashions of the babes he bonks. It's all part of the process,and at the end of the day you will have a portfolio that paying customers might appreciate,like game designers and art directors. Don't worry if its cliche,only that its recognizable as work of yours.
>>2560758
>>2561864
"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your spirit. If you do this, your work will be authentic."
— Jim Jarmusch
