Some people work better in the morning, and some might like working at night. Take advantage of the time that you’re at your best. This is most helpful if you’re a freelancer or work from home. It might be tougher to plan if you have a day job at an office, but you could still try other tricks to boost your creativity.

If you use a drawing pad or tablet for your computer, still try sketching on paper. Changing the medium you work with could help stimulate some creativity. It’s a good idea to keep your sketch pad with you at all times so you can start working whenever inspiration hits. This is another reason that a sketch pad works better than a computer drawing pad. Don’t worry if you’re not very good at sketching. This is just for your own personal ideas, and you’ll definitely get better if you stick with it.

Redecorating your work space or another part of your home. Drawing or painting in your free time. Redesigning the graphics in your favorite magazine, website, or movie poster. Volunteering to do the graphics for a community organization.

For example, if you’re always sketching your ideas, maybe painting would be a nice change of pace. You could also change the program you work with. If you’re normally working with Photoshop, then switching to Illustrator might give you some new ideas.

If you normally design product logos, for example, branching out and doing some web design might be a welcome change. It might be frustrating to try something that you’re not very skilled in, but stick with it! This is how you’ll learn and get better as a designer.

Scrapbooking with the designs you like is also a great way to stimulate creativity. You’ll keep all the designs in one place while doing a fun craft activity. If you use Pinterest, it’s very easy to pin creative ideas or designs that inspire you and look at them later. It’s fine to take influence from other designers and projects, but don’t directly copy them. This will hurt your reputation as a designer.

Remember to save any designs you like on these sites! Having a look at them when you need some inspiration can give you a nice boost.

There are tons of great art books, so your local library would be a great place to start. You could also look on websites for museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see thousands of pieces for inspiration. If you see any pieces of art you particularly like, add them to your scrapbook for inspiration.

If you don’t have a degree in graphic design, then going to school could teach you some extremely valuable skills and tricks to boost your creativity. You could also complete a certificate in design or using a particular medium. Many of these are available online for a reasonable price. There are also plenty of YouTube channels and websites that produce completely free content.

Meditation. Yoga. Taking a walk. Doing deep-breathing exercises.

Even if you don’t live near a rural area, any small park or quiet area will work perfectly. Urban landscapes can be inspiring too. Go and check out the trains, bridges, architecture, cars, and people interacting to see if that gives you a creative spark. Remember to bring your sketch pad when you go out! You never know when inspiration will strike.

One study found that “happy” music helped boost creativity, regardless of whether or not the person liked it. [13] X Trustworthy Source Greater Good Magazine Journal published by UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, which uses scientific research to promote happier living Go to source Note that this might not work for everyone. Some people find music very distracting when they’re trying to work, so don’t worry if you need silence to be creative. [14] X Research source