Ideas.......

Where Do Your Ideas Come From........
Are you one of those that keeps pad and paper next to your bed so you can jot down ideas. Some people have their best ideas as their tired brain starts to relax....you know that period between closing your eyes and deep sleep. I like to refer to it as "the sunset of your mind"! I know I often have the funniest concepts and truly bizarre ideas during this time. It often makes me wonder where I came from and what I was exposed to while I was growing up, lol! Most of the quirky and "teetering on edge" ideas definitely come from books that I have read and the stories I heard while growing up. I was fortunate enough to come from a family of "story tellers". True stories no one will ever know for sure but truly entertaining nonetheless! When I first started in this business I would often name my characters after my colorful family. When I ran out relatives the names and their personality started to develop on their own (hmmm that sounds scary)! I'm sure almost everything I do comes from something related to my colorful childhood.....you have no idea how colorful!!!! I'm also an avid reader and seem to find myself drifting towards the magical with a touch of whimsey! Halloween has always been a favorite of mine due to the fond memories I have of it as a child. Some of my ideas also come from the amazing people (characters) I meet in my life. Nothing amazes me more than the expressions that are made during a scary or embarrassing moment. Since my skills with human like characters is limited I find myself creating more with animals or magical characters. My PODDS (Portly Original Designer Dolls) are a favorite of mine and often emulate real life individuals that I find interesting.....like Phantom of the Opera, Albert Einstein, Colonel Sanders, or characters from Alice in Wonderland! It's important to me that my characters have props and are doing something, it makes them seem almost animated. I never surf the internet for ideas because I just don't want to look like anyone else....I need to stay true to myself which means there are times the well is a bit dry and creating is tough. Best thing for me is to go shopping and empty the brain!!!!! Nurseries and hardware stores are places of choice to shop....don't ask! Someone once said there is no such thing as an original idea....I beg to differ! Sure, there are a lot of mice, birds, cats, frogs and bears out there....but it's what you do with that design that makes it original and yours! I've started many trends and can definitely say they were mine and original...but that will get me nothing more than a touch of heartburn and hours of wasted time so why bother! An idea is an idea and if it's yours and you're one of kind then it's original!!!!