Welcome to the Thursday Insider. In each Insider, we'll ask team members to answer a question about themselves, LOTRO, or The Lord of the Rings. You never know what you'll get from the LOTRO team!

In this Insider, we've asked two questions from the community. Enjoy!

Question from LOTRO community member Defunct:

If you could ask Tolkien one question, what would it be?

Jeffrey "Nigellian" Steefel (Executive Producer):
If you could travel to Middle-earth, and had one week to stay there, what would you most like to do with that time?

Chris "Hakai" Clay (Artist/Designer):
If you could have lived the life of one of your characters who would it be and why?

Jeanette "Sable" (Production Artist):
"Of the Five Wizards, only three came into the story. Was anything known about the other two?

Did Frodo and the other mortals who passed over the Sea eventually die, or had they become immortal?"

Michael "Eldrad" Jablonn (Associate Producer):
Oh man, that's a tough one. I think it would be "Think back to the very beginning& what was your very first inspiration and impetus to write this series of books? That was the one thing that initially got the ball rolling on this wonderful journey?"

Chris "NobOrBob" Foster (Lead Content Designer)
So, what did you mean by that whole "other minds and hands" thing, exactly?

Danger Dan (Game Systems Designer):
If you could learn one more language than you learned in your life, what language would it be?

Chris "Trotter" Pierson (World Builder/Lore Monkey):
Buy you a pint?

Catfisch (Lead Animator):
"That's a tall order. From a developer stand point, I'd want him to clear up on of the many grey areas, to save some sanity and forum space.

From a personal standpoint, I'd want to know what his inspirations where when writing about his world."

Allan "Orion-Turbine" Maki (Content Designer):
My question would be in two-parts, I could do that right? Where did you draw your inspiration for this incredible world, and how did you feed your mind to draw such magnificent imagery from your imagination?

Floon Beetle (Artist):
"Who does your hair? Because it's FABULOUS."

Jeff Murchie (Concept Artist):
I'd ask him if he would take me on in Halo.

Nik Davidson (Game Systems Designer):
"So, Tom Bombadil. What's the deal, seriously?"

 

Question from LOTRO community member Loth:

If you are ever "stuck" in terms of creativity with your work (writer's block, for example), what do you do to get those creative juices flowing again??

Jeffrey "Nigellian" Steefel (Executive Producer):
Sometimes play music, sometimes go on a hike, sometimes just find someone to bounce ideas off of.

Chris "Hakai" Clay (Artist):
When I get stuck in terms of creativity I do my best to stop thinking all together. I usually will go outside and walk around the building once or twice clearing my head. Once I've stopped trying to think the thoughts usually trickle back in of their own accord.

Jeanette "Sable" (Production Artist):
I have a mosquito netting drape above my desk filled with butterflies on strings. I put my feet up, my head on the back of my chair and drift for a few minutes to clear my head. Then I cruise the web for images.

Michael "Eldrad" Jablonn (Associate Producer):
Nothing special. I just do something else for bit and come back to it. Sorry, no crazy schemes to speak of.

Chris "Trotter" Pierson (World Builder/Lore Monkey):
Keep writing anyway. It hurts, but eventually it breaks the block. Or causes a fatal aneurysm. Either way, no problem after that.

Catfisch (Lead Animator):
Most of the time, I'll mosey on over to the other animators on DDO, and ask what their take on it would be. They usually come up with an angle I hadn't considered.

Allan "Orion-Turbine" Maki (Content Designer):
I read a good book, play a good game, relax for a while and then, eventually the juices start returning.

Floon Beetle (Artist):
I'm less often stuck for ideas than I am stuck because my energy is low and I can't think clearly. To cure that (which is usually around mid-afternoon), I play some hacky-sack with some of my fellow coworkers for half an hour. And drink more coffee.

Chris "NobOrBob" Foster (Designer):
Uh... I tried to think of an answer, but I got nothin'.

Jeff Murchie (Concept Artist):
I go straight to the history books. I love history as much as I love art. There are so many inspirational and unbelievable stories throughout history and the architecture, costumes and art from the past are great for visual reference!

Dwynna (Technical Artist):
My work on LOTRO is much more technical than creative. However, it can be pretty draining to work on the same one task for too long. Sometimes I have to take a "break" by working on something different (usually a task that is pretty mechanical and not requiring mental effort, such as building lower-resolution models to help game performance). However, sometimes I do the opposite, I'll set myself a few hours to try something challenging, such as trying to completely re-think the way we set up our character animations. Those efforts sometimes don't go anywhere, but they keep my skills sharp. As far as creative hobbies, I've found that sometimes added restrictions can help creativity" for example, picking a word from the dictionary and creating an image based on that, or giving yourself one week to make a ten-second animation using a particular sound clip. I was a potter years ago, and I'd renew my creativity with that by settling on one kind of object to make for a while (such as flowerpots, or teapots). If I don't have restrictions, I get overwhelmed.

Nik Davidson (Game Systems Designer):
If by "creative juices" you mean "coffee," well, I just go get another cup.