The inspirations behind this project

As you may or may not know, I have been diagnosed with autism since the age of four, and during my spare time I would always look at a map or a world atlas, of varying ages and designs, picking out different locations in various countries and road numbers. It really helps me to cool down after a hard day in school or doing jobseeking.

My love for fantasy map making takes me back to autumn 2012, where I would make a drawing of a fictional island called Freedman Island, which is geographically located off the coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The effort at the time was very basic, as I had used Microsoft Paint to produce the drawings, but I have started to enjoy the idea of designing maps electronically a lot more since then. 

Fantasy map of Freedman Island

In addition, I was always interested in video games for many years, particularly open world driving games such as Need for Speed - I could open an in-game map and sometimes I can see features that mimick real-life satellite imagery, such as buildings and mountains. As a result, I could spend lots of time travelling across an in-game map, trying to find interesting things, or to just unwind myself for a little while. Below is an example of a fantasy cliff map that I discovered in the BeamNG simulation game:

Fantasy cliff map in BeamNG

In the real world, I would take map exploration to new extremes, as I would find myself exploring the most distant corners of the internet. And in 2018, my way of thinking has had its effects, as I found myself straying into beauty/wellness territory for the first time. It was when I encountered the lifestyle and wellness influencer and entrepreneur Niomi Smart, who at the time, was one of the UK's more respected influencers in the lifestyle sphere. It was interesting getting to see a community that was focused on making people feel well and care about others, and is something I still have interest in to this present day.

A year later, I would enrol on a university degree studying cyber security, graduating in 2022. Looking back at everything, my degree has taught me so much more than just the computing elements, but to also look at the wider picture in terms of respecting other people. Consequently, my past experiences have taught me how to be holistic, and treat people in a relaxing, calm manner. 

Therefore, for the fantasy map business idea, I have decided to focus on an approach that aims to provide the best of both worlds, balancing technology and gaming with the wellness and lifestyle aspects, in order to provide a social difference for everybody by making the concept of fantasy cartography open to everybody and as a result, make everyone feel better in their ordinary lives.  

With that being said, it is now time to get to the market research, and when that is done, I will report the most interesting findings that I have found personally. It's going to be a load of fun, to be honest.

With much love and until next time,

Jakub Puk