Anonymous Coward · 10mo
Whats your line between inspiration and reference. Ive been working on a fantasy world pulling alot from african history, legends , cultures and the like. As an African American I'm very worried about being offensive accidentally using a reference that have a deeper importance than I am aware of not being raised in any of these regions.
My biggest rule is to never completely copy one for one.
If you see a mask, an outfit , jewelry, you should change it significantly. It should feel like it COULD’VE came from that culture not just a copy of something within that culture. Think of yourself as a fashion designer. Be inspired by the abstract and speculate on what ifs as well.
Ex: what if there was fictional Cameroonian tribe who worshipped a big red fish found deep in a lake.
Completely random but now you know they live near a lake, worship something red, have a Cameroonian vibe, probably have fish motifs on their clothing and homes etc etc.
This is a better way of approaching designs imho. This will lead you to create something completely new while still having some guidelines to help you.
Plus People can still tell where you got the influence from in my experience. So don’t really worry about the vibes not connecting.
