Constellation of Influence
- Mar 23
- 2 min read
As an artist, I’ve often had that moment when I’ve come across something from my past that reminds me of my own work and it surprises me. I’ve come to think of these moments as stars in a ‘constellation of influence’, inspired by Hugh Dunford-Wood’s illustrated mind map. A way of drawing together everything in your life that has inspired you (consciously or unconsciously) - from graphics to colour palettes and fonts to pattern, form and texture. From all genres - music, film, photography, mood and aesthetics - all the things that have seeped in since childhood.
In his words -
“To come under the influence of another’s work is much like falling in love. A whole world opens up and you are given clues and possibilities to develop yourself. It may take time to work through an influence, to swallow it, digest it and spit it out at the other end, using that energy to power you forward and beyond.
This exercise is as relevant for musicians and cooks, thespians and storytellers, writers and gardeners, businessmen, sportsmen, and scientists, as well as artists and craftsmen. Anyone who has learned a discipline, formally or informally, will benefit from careful retrospection of his or her influences.”
I’ve been reading about how your personal website should be your go-to place, your ecosystem, for when social media completely collapses. So I thought it would be nice to add a constellation of influence to my about page, as a way to let people into my brain a little more.
I started in Pinterest, randomly collecting everything I could think of that I loved, my mind skipping all over the place from Bjork to Lucienne Day. Then I selected the things I could see that had really inspired my artistic life and my aesthetic and I collated those into a collage.
Some things I noticed -
Dots: From Eric Carle to Corita Kent…
…Lines and grids: From Anni Albers to Saul Bass.
As well as more literal inspirations like Lucie Rie and Fan Ho.
(Plus a hell of a lot of lemons.)
What will I do with this info? I’m not sure exactly, but I did enjoy the process. And it did make me realise what I really love to make (basically interiors and abstract colourfields) and to continue leaning into it.
I wonder if you have noticed recurring motifs in your work or life that may have come from somewhere surprising, way, way back in your childhood. Or eureka moments, like The Tiger Who Came To Tea might be the reason you have a yellow kitchen 🤔
