A couple people recently, for no reason at all, asked me who inspires me. The list goes on forever, but I'm going to try and explain who inspires me in every aspect of my creative life, starting with art.
Art
The reason I'm starting with art is because this is Deviantart. Anyway, here's my list of inspiration ;
Tetsuya Nomura
Nomura's clean, consise style, along with soft colors and smooth lines , makes him one of my top picks in the art area. But what really catches my eye about him is the way he designs characters. He takes a character from the mind of a storyteller and gives him an image , brings him to life. He's done it for every single Final Fantasy character you've ever seen from FFVII onward. He's responsible for Cloud's signature hairstyle and that giant sword he wields. He's responsible for Squall's fluffylined leather jacket and that scar across his eye. He's the one who made Tidus so pretty and designed that wild yellow , blue and red costume, along with all the insane jewelry. The list goes on and on.
Yoshitaka Amano
Notorious for designing the logos and drawing his own form of artwork for all the Final Fantasy games starting from the beginning on, Amano's signature style is known worldwide. But that's not all he does. He's a famous painter from Japan that has a style that absolutely no one can copy. His eye for detail and surreal composition is unmatched. An original Amano painting is worth upwards of eight thousand dollars, whether it's from the Final Fantasy universe or not.
Todd McFarlane
Creator of Spawn and well known for the dark and twisted things that come out of his head, Todd McFarlane constantly blows minds with the way he draws his characters. Whether it's the dark world of Spawn or the modern and urban Spider-Man, Macfarlane never disappoints...at least when it comes to his artwork. His video games ? That's another story....
Yoji Shinkawa
The name might not ring a bell, but this is the guy who brings the characters of Metal Gear Solid to life. He's the one who paints those unique pictures, the collages that you see on the covers of some of the games , and on websites, and as wallpapers. It's hard to even describe how he draws, but god damn it I love it.
There are plenty of other artists that amaze me. Walt Kelly, Jeff Smith, Monkey Punch , to name a few.
Deviantart Artists
Yes, some of you are on my list.
CHEEKS! 
Let's face it. The second you saw Sean's artwork you were like 'holy crap'. His unique grasp on anatomy is what gets me every time. That and the way he colors. He's a crazy and unique individual, and god damn it if the world of art doesn't need a couple hundred of those right now.
Pio Canlas 
HAH! I bet you're surprised to see your name on here, Pio. With his unique mangaish style of artwork , but more importantly, his STORIES, Pio never ceases to amaze me. I'm proud to be able to call him both a good friend AND a member of HyperActive Productions, because we'd be near to lost without him. ...And a cookie.
ukitakumuki 
I don't even know what to say. This seventeen year old from Signapore can just...draw. That's it. Just attempting to describe why his work is inspiring makes my brain twist in seven different directions.
If I listed all the other deviantart members that inspire me, I'd be here all night. Suffice it to say, if you're on my watch list, you inspire me in some way.
Music
Nobuo Uematsu
If I need to compose a new piece of music for my games, I turn to Uematsu for inspiration. Just sitting and listening to a nice chunk of the Final Fantasy Piano Collections is enough to get my brain going for hours. He's written every Final Fantasy tune you have ever heard, ever. Every Final Fantasy tune that's been stuck in your head ? ALL HIM! Not only that, when he's not composing, he's out getting drunk. He is the coolest composer ever.
There's absolutely too many people to list. So I stop here for music.
Game Design
Hideo Kojima
Creator of the famed Metal Gear Solid series, Hideo Kojima is my video game designing Idol, aside from the almightly Shigeru Miyamoto (who happens to be this man's mentor). His love of American films and film directing plowed through into the gaming industry, where most of his games obtain a cinematic quality that many try to grasp, but fall short at. His knack for storytelling and his dedication to creating the best video games he can shines through in his golden creations. I can only hope that one day I'll be half as great as this man is, and when I shoot for that cinematic quality in my games, that it comes out at least SOMETHING like it does in his games.
Shigeru Miyamoto
What can I say that hasn't been said about Miyamoto ? He created Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, and a trillion other things. His resume reads like the ultimate video game list. With the imagination of a child and the business know-how of a genius, Miyamoto does it like few can. If I become one percent as great as he is, I will be one of the best game designers ever.
Atsushi Inaba
This name might not ring a bell at first. But what about Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe ? He's the creator of only TWO franchises , and he's already captured my heart with his crazy ways. Have you ever seen this man during an interview or on stage ? He is the coolest person ever. Anyway, his unique outlook on video games and how they should play makes him rock, and rock hard.
So there you have it. My list of inspiration in Art, Music , and Game Design. I'm sure I've forgotten someone , but eh. I'll update it later. I hope this somehow helps you.
REMEMBER ! 2222th pageview gets a piece of art or a small arcade game !
THANK YOU!!!
