Step one: define our working definition for inspiration. Read Cameron’s article on the subject from earlier this year: Influence vs. Inspiration

The natural extension of that article is After the Brief: A Field Guide to Design Inspiration. This was a SXSW presentation given by Jason Santa Maria and Robert Weychert. Fortunately for us, the audio and slides (pdf) from the lecture are available for free download. Grab them both and dedicate an hour to listen and follow along. This is an enlightening discussion about how and where to find sources of inspiration for your designs (and a great look at how today’s designers do it day in and day out).

Still stuck for ideas? Suffering from creative block? What’s a (new) designer to do? Cameron puts forth one idea (which should sound kind of familiar by now) for breaking through the haze: unplugging from the grid for a while. But not to be outdone, Cameron post yet one more on the topic: Pressure = Inspiration?

So, a recap:

• Read Influence vs. Inspiration
• Download and listen to After the Brief: A Field Guide to Design Inspiration (slides)
• Read Uninspired? Unplug yourself
• Read Pressure = Inspiration?

Anything stand out to you? What new ideas will you take to your other classes moving forward? Which of these were you already doing?