Hitting a Brick Wall....

As our thesis proposal due date approaches, I have seem to hit a nice solid wall of uncertainty, panic and confusion. I know where I want my art to go and a few artists I really get influenced by... BUT.... i really don't know what I should be researching for my thesis proposal. How do I find more artists that have relevancy to my work? Do I have to talk about nothing but artists and specific genres of art in my proposal? What if I draw inspiration from random things? like how my shoes laces fall and composed themselves on the floor after I took my shoes off? Or what if I create the composition of a painting from a the feeling I get from a James Brown song? Those are just some of the werid things that factor into my art. Should I be talking about this in my proposal as well? Can anyone suggest artist I should look at? Is there certain types of articles I should be looking at more than others like interviews more than reviews or biographies or show catalogs? I just need a little guidance and help here... I understand we are seniors and no one is going to hold my hand through thesis. I'm not expecting anyone to do so. What I need though is for someone to give me some pointers, suggestions and guidelines to help direct me into the right path.