The mind of... Tim Miller

Library of imagination The Deadpool director explains how his passion for innovative storytelling was born

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Where did you grow up, and how has this impacted your art?

I grew up in the suburbs outside Washington DC, in Fort Washington, Maryland. I had a great childhood with all the usual stuff growing up in the US brings, if you're lucky enough to have good parents, enough money, and no real trauma. Most fortunate of all, I'm the child of a huge reader; my dad’s library was like a treasure vault. I was that kid who'd get lost in the worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard - real pulp adventure stuff. I'd read anything, but those stories were like gateway drugs to my imagination.

And I loved to draw. Comics were my jam because they mashed up the best of both worlds: heroic stories and fantastic art. All that geeking out over art and story set the stage for what I wanted to do.

What, outside of art, has most influenced your work?

Beyond traditional art, my two major influences are genre literature and computer technology. Immersing myself in science fiction and fantasy novels sparked my imagination and ignited a real passion for storytelling beyond the visual within me. Then the emergence of computer technology as an art tool came along, and that completely absorbed me. It offered tools and possibilities that I hadn't believed were possible.

Equally significant has been the opportunity to work collaboratively with other artists. Co-founding Blur Studio in 1995 as a place for animators and artists to come together was incredibly satisfying. I've learned so much through collaborations with visionaries such as David Fincher on Love, Death & Robots, and James Cameron on The Terminator. Those ideas have altered my perspectives, demonstrating the power of collective creativity when trying to push the boundaries of storytelling.