The Daily Adventures of Mercat

On the one hand, it's this ancient fictionalized culture that is constantly begging for reimagination.

On the other hand, its historicality is... essentially nothing. As far as I understand it, and I need to do more research, but-- it was basically understood to be this joke place that no one took seriously (until much later after the Greeks and Romans, I mean like the 1400s I think?). And as far as I can tell, I do think it was Minoan Crete or something close to there (Mycenae?).

And as fascinated as I am with Minoan culture because of its art and its related mythologies (the minotaur-- not a Minoan story but a later mythology likely based on its existence), it kind of kills my ideas about what Atlantis is.

I'm getting super judgmental about it, too. I have this idea that I can't pin down, and it's really frustrating me, especially in regards to the current project we're doing in studio. We have to build an ancient burial site, but the restrictions are MAJOR, which was frustrating enough. Then I'm trying to find a place for it in my head with an appropriate structural decoration-- no, too Mayan, no, too Angkor Wat, no, too Indian, no, too Dinotopia.

I'm not satisfied. All of these distinct styles and even though I love them, I feel constrained by them. It's the same problem I have with classical Greek (and Roman) styling-- it's overused and too heavily styled.

I think I'm struggling to find my own defined style. Which is proving to be a huge challenge, because I'm trying to remove it from any sense of cultural appropriation or historical basis, but when you can't picture in your mind a place on this planet to put a building... what do you do?! No site, no structure.

I feel like sometimes I'm just slamming my head into a brick wall repeatedly at my own hand and I don't know what to do about it. But it's the only way to move forward?

Addendum: I also can't determine a style to go with an Atlantis that I already have semi-conceived. I have a few ideas, but the whole thing is very nebulous, and it's very hard to define something when your only tools are "definitely not A, B, or C". And as much as, ah, Victorian neoclassical? (not sure what to call it-- think Shedd aquarium) fits into it, I hate some very distinct parts of it and even though Atlantis should be Mediterranean, I HATE GREEK AND ROMAN ARCHITECTURE.

With a burning fiery passion.

fuuuuuck everythiiiiing