JSK's Influence Map

CAUTION: ONE INSTANCE OF BI IN MEME!

So what exactly influences me when I do art?

1st-tier Influence: Manga and Anime

Manga and anime have influenced me when I was growing up. I used to watch some old shows like Sailor Moon, DragonBall Z, and other Pokemon (not necessarily classics, but when you're a kid,...). Of course, I did have a period where I swore not to watch any such material, but frankly that part of my life sucked, so I'm glad to be part of this experience.

As for manga, I liked the way it could depict both cartoony and realistic styles without weirding me out like many Western animation/cartoons (not that I have a problem with them, but I still prefer the Eastern style). Even though I have just one manga novel (Clover is the name), it's something of a doorstopper with its sheer imensity, something that would take me months to read if not for its quick chapters.

2nd-tier Influences:

Mythology and Fantasy: Mythology has been a huge part of my life. From reading of the epics of the great classical heroes to figuring out how the mythos of a world created specifically for the media (like in Brütal Legend) works, it all touches my fancy when I draw upon my creativity. Dreams also play a part upon what I do; of the four journals I keep nowadays, one of them is devoted to my feelings, dreams, and sexual desires (though that last part is something I tend to keep private). Overall, I draw straight from the realms of the fantastic to create something equally as such.

Body Inflation: This is a large reason why most of my gallery is the way it is. Ever since I was 17, I've been very interested in the idea of metamorphosis, and the idea of becoming a giant balloon and floating away piqued my curiosity the most. Eventually, after fully integrating myself into the realm of ballooning body parts, I decided to do my own inflation art, and that's how my modern day gallery came to include it. Sure I lost a few "friends" along the way, but that's because they're simply mot old enough to understand this net culture. Besides, I'm sure I gained a few better friends for this, especially those who share my interests.

3rd-tier Influences:

TVTropes: Yes, TVTropes has ruined my life, and I am grateful for it. I was introduced into it by chance when I was looking through the Middle Ground forums one day, and people began commenting on how TVTropes was ruining their lives. Intrigued, I decided to take a look, and my life was never the same. Eventually, I became a troper myself and made major contributions to the site, along with a few forum posts. Nevertheless, I found it to be one of the most useful sources of storytelling and audience-reaction devices online, an act that's hugely tough to follow.

The Killers: The Killers and Coldplay (see below) were two bands I grew up listening to. The very first time I listened to the Killers, I was pretty much hooked at the tasteful use of synthesizers, Brandon Flowers's compelling voice, and the fact that they had a goal of making Las Vegas more than just a miserable city of sin and gambling. Even after their "break-up" (if they have indeed broken up), I still listen to them, especially their latest album "Day and Age", with their kickass first three songs therein. Good times!

Coldplay: Coldplay is another band I listen to. At first, they didn't seem to be anything special, just okay, so I didn't quite notice them when I listened to the radio. It wasn't until their single Clocks hit the airwaves that I really began paying attention to them. I currently have all of their official albums (unfortunately, not including their EPs and singles), and am looking forward to the next few albums in their discography with all manner of eagerness.

MegaMan franchise: This is one of the most kickass video game franchises I've heard of (not including several others that I would've listed except for space reasons). What started as a simple platformer with a then-unique concept of allowing the player to choose which stage he wanted to tackle before confronting the main villain, is now a massive success for Capcom, what with seven series spanning two universes (and apparently an eighth series in a veriation of the first universe). This is also why I am a fan of the doujin homage series Rosenkreuzstilette, which I personally feel deserves a wider Western audience.

The Punk Subgenre: I think the Punk subgenre is pretty innovative, since it answers the thought-provoking question of "What if we had today's or tomorrow's technology, yesterday?". Also, given its realistic (albeit gritty) quality, it would make a good case study of alternate universes, which is vital to making certain genres like urban fantasy work. The very idea strikes me as a good way to have some means of plot where none would've been possible at the time period's actual tech level, along with the ability to have magic that is of actual use instead of being all wishy-washy and tenuous with real problems. As such, Punk is something that holds a special place in my heart and imagination.

MS Paint Adventures: MSPaint adventures is pretty much the very definition of "intricate plot-thread-weaving-without-leaving-knots-or-fraying-the-threads-themselves-in-a-horrendous-or-otherwise-obnoxiously-unsubtle-fashion shit" in terms of sheer complexity and enjoyment value. The author, Andrew Hussie, manages to put in a lot of effort into an equally epic story, as can be seen from Problem Sleuth and all of Homestuck so far. It is especially apparent when the latter entered its fifth act, tenatively called Hivebent, due to the sheer amount of contrast shown between trolls and humanity. After Homestuck is finished, I look forward to reading the next MSPA series.

4th-tier Influence: deviantArt

And of course, there's dA. I did sign up for it in 2007, but it took me two years to find the motivation to put anything up, and even then it wasn't of the highest quality. It wasn't until recently that I actually got better tools and more knowledge of art and thus began truly drawing something of my liking. Nowadays, it's one of the site that's on my "must-have" list, along the likes of Twitter and TVTropes.

All images/photos (c) their respective owners, as described in the meme itself.

The original meme can be found here