Fossils, Idea Jenga, and Space Eels

Ideas are weird things.

First, there’s the question of where they come from. People ask artists all the time how they come up with the stuff they come up with, and by and large, the answer is just an eloquent version of “Darned if I know.” You can’t go to the idea store and pick something out. You just have to hope something comes to you and that you see it for what it is when it does.

Then there’s the question of what you do once you get an idea. It feels like you’re dealing with something s...