Do you ever find yourself doing basically the same thing over and over? Or do you have those days when you just can’t see the solution to your design problem. You may be suffering from stagnant creativity, a condition in which your creativity has nothing to draw from.

Creativity is our brains rearranging what we know and what we’ve experienced. If you’ve been working a lot or have just been busy with family and the usual routine, you might find yourself having a hard time coming up with fresh new ideas. If this happens, the solution is simple but you will need to take time out to fix it.

What you need is a new influx of inspiration. Get out and do something you have never done before. It can be as simple as going in and perusing a store you’ve never been in, something completely off the wall like a Korean market of a plumber’s supply warehouse (of course these are only off the wall if you don’t cook Korean or fix your own plumbing). Even going to a movie or shopping can trigger new ideas, especially if you go with the idea that there might be something out there that will resolve your design problem or expose you to new textures or colors for your artwork.

Of course, you can always check out work by other creatives. But instead of just looking at work that is similar to yours, look at styles completely different. Like if you do slick web design, check out grunge pages or even other graphic work like brochures and logos. If you’re a fantasy art painter, check out landscape and portrait painters and see how they handle composition, light, and color—or whatever particular issue is stumping you. The idea is that you can pull elements of what is being done by these other people to incorporate into your work. Even in work you don’t like, there are techniques and constructs you might want to use.

Or get out of Dodge. (See my blog “Get out of the Race”) Basically just get out somewhere and expose yourself (in the legal, clean manner of acceptable social interaction!) to new people, places, sights, food, etc. Switch gears and refuel and feed your mind and soul. It will do amazing things for your work.

Your creativity needs fresh fodder to bring you fresh ideas. Purposely seek them. Look for inspiration in even the most mundane new experience and banal creations. It’s there. Continuously add to your pool of ideas and you will rarely, if ever, find yourself at a loss for new ideas.