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Many web designers will tell you that inspiration is critical to their careers.
Getting and staying inspired, unfortunately, isn’t always easy. The work of a web designer can be as tedious and stressful as it exciting and stimulating. After you’ve designed hundreds or thousands of websites, coming up with new, innovative designs can be a challenge. Fortunately, there are ways to find the inspiration you need to continue to be a top performer in the design world. Here are four things you can do to get inspired and ultimately become better at what you do:
1. Follow industry leaders
Keeping an eye on what other top designers are doing will inspire you to create bolder, better, more impressive website designs. The best writers know they become better at their craft by reading other writers, and the best artists know a trip to the art museum boosts their creativity. There’s definitely a lot you can learn from other designers and a lot of inspiration to be found in their work. So, follow your favorite designers on Twitter and frequent their websites. Figure out which of their techniques you’d like to try out yourself to stay fresh.
2. Disconnect from technology
As a web designer, you probably spend the majority of time on your computer and mobile devices. Even when you’re not technically working, you’re probably still connected to the internet and your projects somehow. While staying connected to the web at all times may seem like a smart strategy for your career, it may actually be stunting your growth as a designer. The most creative, innovative people are those who seek and find inspiration everywhere. They live life to the fullest, and it’s difficult to live life to the fullest when you’re constantly “plugged in.” So, consider going for a walk, going out with friends and leaving your smartphone at home, and doing other things you love that don’t involve technology.
Stepping away from the internet every once in a while will help you feel more passionate about the interesting, complex world in which you live, and it will likely help you approach problems more creatively when you return to your computer.
3. Learn a new skill every day
There’s always a new Photoshop trick, WordPress plugin, and CSS3 tactic to learn about. If you’re designing in the same manner you designed two years ago, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Striving to learn at least one new skill each day will help keep you excited about your work and all the different things you can do with it. The more you know about how to design, the better you’ll be able to design. Even if you feel as though you know every relevant trick in the book, you probably don’t. Even the most knowledgeable designers need to open to learning and changing the way they design based on shifting trends and advancements.
4. Explore other art forms
Web design is two parts technical and one part creative. The technical side of your job is relatively easy to master. Creativity isn’t necessarily something you can master or learn. It’s something you have to cultivate and re-cultivate on a regular basis. One strategy you can try out to cultivate your creativity is to explore other art forms. You might, for instance, want to try out reading or writing poetry or painting. Enjoying what other artists in the world are doing and have done as well as taking part in the arts in general will likely spark some of the much-needed creativity you need as a designer.
Web designers who seek out ways to optimize what they do are in arguably the most successful in their field. So, consider trying out the tips above to increase your inspiration and your abilities!
