22 Eyebrow-Arching Ways Creators' Lives Influenced Their Work

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22 Eyebrow-Arching Ways Creators' Lives Influenced Their Work

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We like to think of artists, writers, and other creative types as being inspired by some magical muse, and pulling their art completely out of thin air. But the truth is, most art is heavily inspired by its creators' past experiences. And if you know what to look for, you can spot those influences. The past experiences of famous creators -- artists, filmmakers, writers, musicians, etc. -- constantly show up in their creations.

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Calvin and Hobbes

Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson used to be a political cartoonist. WHEN I GROW UP, I'M NOT THAT WAY I CAN COMPLAIN GOING TO READ THE NEWS- TH
Gravity Falls' Dipper got his name from creator Alex Hirsch's middle school classmate. TERY GS The kid had an ever-shifting pattern of acne on his for
While talking about writing Mean Girls, Tina Fey said, I revisited high school behaviors of my own -. -futile, poisonous, bitter behaviors that serve
THE REASON ANDREW W.K. HAS SUCH A PASSION FOR PARTYING IS BECAUSE HE HATES RULES. When he was growing up, there was a lot of pressure to drink, but th

Smokey and the Bandit

CRACKED Smokey and the Bandit is a film about two bootleggers attempting to transport hundreds of cases of illegal Coors beer. It was inspired by dire
during father his influenced Waters Losing War social Roger World of war, in Floyd's folly pink the and abandonment Wall highlight and to The based in
UIM John Romero decided that his company's next game, Doom, should be about a demonic invasion when he caused one in their D&D office campaign. CRACKE

Community

CRACKED.COM ommunity WAS INSPIRED BY DAN HARMON'S EXPERIENCES AT GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, WHEN He WAS IN A BIOLOGY STUDY GROUP WITH TWO CLASSMATES
Cameron Crowe's Oscar-winning movie, Almost Famous, is heavily based on his escapades as a GRAUN teenage rock journalist in the '70s. Just like the fi
CRACKED.COM BIGBANGTHEORY ou Raj's inability to speak around women was based on someone Co- creator Bill Prady worked with in the computer business wh
A MIKE NEWELL four FILM eddings and funeral a Richard Curtis started writing Four Weddings and a Funeral when he realized he went to 65 weddings in 11
The protagonists in Super 8 are inspired by J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves. They, too, made a movie in their early teens, which is how they got their sta
CRACKEDcO was based off the ER experiences Michael Crichton had at Harvard Medical School. In 1974, Crichton wrote a screenplay based on the experienc
GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S INSPIRATION TO CREATE THE FAUN IN THE FILM PAN'S LABYRINTH WAS A DREAM HE HAD AS A CHILD. When he was a little kid he would have
J. K. Rowling battled with depression, and she used that experience to dream up the Dementors. CRACKED.co COM

Tim Burton

Tim Burton grew up in ever-sunny Burbank, CA, where pretty much only holiday decorations changed with the seasons. Burton would notice Christmas and H
Starfox is a game series about anthropomorphic animals who fly futuristic jets under arches. SHIELD LOOK, LOOK!! Creator Shigeru Miyamoto was inspired
Mark Millar's KICK-ASS is autobiographical. As a teenager, Millar and his friends tried to become vigilante super heroes. The story of Kick-Ass is, in
ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S FATHER ARRANGED FOR HIM TO BE LOCKED IN A CELL IN ORDER FOR HIM TO KNOW WHAT THE POLICE DID TO NAUGHTY BOYS This made him permane
Inigo Montoya's triumphant speech in The Princess Bride is captivating due to Mandy Patinkin's memory Of his father. The actor got into character by i

SpongeBob

Stephen Hillenburg graduated with a degree in Natural Resources Planning, then went on to teach marine biology and study animation. A comic book entit
The tone of Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom was influenced by Steven Spielberg's break-up and George Lucas's divorce. We were not in a good mood
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