But that's the key, there is no point in having great ideas if you're not going to implement them.
I think I speak for everyone when I say that you BEST ideas often come spontaneously, and with relatively little ?Hard labour? that?s just how ideas come, if you?re enjoying your self while mapping, then you mind will constantly think up new ways to keep you going (your brain likes enjoying itself ? that?s why you get addicted to drugs).
If you find that you don?t have any will or ideas to map, but still want to map something, why not take one of your previous screenshots, or ideas that you never implemented and start mapping that ? even start laying down brushes for some random prop.
Even go as a far as replicating someone else?s work, and trying to improve it. Note that I said REPLICATE, Not COPY ideas.
Before you know it, you?ll be in there mapping away, and the next time you look up its 3 AM and you?ve school / work tomorrow...
Those who look like ideas are pouring out of their arse, really have very few good ideas, and have learnt to modify existing ideas into new and original ones. Its always much, much easier to start from something familiar and modify it, rather than starting from scratch.
I often find that most of my ideas come to me when I?m bored silly at school or at home, when I start drifting off or daydreaming, that?s because your mind starts to entertain itself, often with something you?ve enjoyed doing before. Its all one big productive cycle, create something new, and feed off that to create another new idea, and so on. Unlike a vicious circle of failure, the creative cycle is a little less painful to get in and out form.
Imagine what your maps will play like, imagine being in the shoes of your character, read books, watch films, look at pictures, look at real life: All these things help you create maps in one way or another. Most New ideas come from old ones. Only some special cases where the abstract is involved, new ideas are spawned by the subconscious, and are a result of one?s own inner thoughts ? which are more elusive and almost impossible to define or debate.
This turned into a really long post.. too long if you?ve read it all ? well done