Idea Box

Put everything in there that’s inspiring: Idea box for the work on my WAR OF THE WORLDS graphic novel adaption.

While working on WAR OF THE WORLDS, I also kept an idea box. Fittingly, this came from the time the story takes place: an old glove box cladded in green velvet.

I put everything in here that – in terms of its content, shape or design – somehow inspired me for the drawings and the style in WAR OF THE WORLDS, regardless of whether I used it later or not. Artists all know this: we see something and immediately think it’s great – or not. But if we think it’s great and it stimulates or inspires us to do something, we somehow want to have it or keep it – otherwise the inspiration is gone in case it is needed later.

Such an idea box can help a lot and is ideal for that: You can put these things in there (if they have the right size, depending on the ideas box) and you can close the lid. Then the inspiration has a place, and as soon as it comes to a place in the work where you could use it, and remember it, or just if you want to refresh your energy for the working process, you can look into it again – and voilà, inspiration is back.

I can recommend everyone to keep a box like this for a project. But you have to be a bit of a hunter and gatherer for that, of course ;).