What Gets the Ball Rolling?

"Where do you get your ideas from?" This is that question that those with the gift of imagination are always asked. Do you ever get asked that?...I thought so. Its a difficult one, the reason we hate it is because we can never answer it. You kinda say "well you know, it's just err, there in my head."

I have thought long and hard about what I should say, planning my cunning answer but I don't know whether I should go for the sarcastic approach - you know, "the idea shop of course." Or the immoderate - "I smash my head against a wall until an idea finds its way into my mind."
I realise that now I have this video from Riverheadbook (thank you) that I could just show them to answer the question for me:

But now I say it doesn't matter where ideas come from, no two people can have the same idea (coincidentally) if you do find someone who has exactly the same idea, well done you've just mastered the power of telepathy. It's not like there's a special technique to having amazing ideas. All ideas are the same (in terms of "amazingness") it's what you do with these ideas which counts.

I may not be able to answer that question but what I can do is tell you what has influenced me strongly over my lifetime. So I'll start with books. The books I have read are obviously one thing that has gotten my mind to where it is today and they will continue to do this for as long as I read them.

The Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy are by far one of the best book series I've ever read and they have along with Harry Potter, Edge Chronicles, Spiderwick Chronicles and the Far Flung Adventure books influenced me to be creative with my own work.

The amazing art work from Chris Riddle has inspired me to draw many times and I've always been keen to try different styles of drawing to influence my characters. Tove Jansson and Quentin Blake are two other illustrators I strongly admire.

If you have as much imagination as boiled cabbage than I say get off that chair your sitting on... yes you! I see you sitting there engrossed in this post, stop reading ...no not now, when I'm finished and go outside. Find those things you find influential because you can't get an idea from just sitting there.
Okay, I'm finished now, you can go.

Now that the rabble's gone I suppose I just want to know if there's anything specific that you want me to mention in my next post. I will be posting up some stuff over the next few weeks to share with you but in  the meantime, if you have any questions or need some advise, get in touch.

Bye y'all