Being a freelance graphic designer affords you the opportunity to only work with the best clients, on the best projects and for the best money out there. That’s the idea anyway, but if you’re just starting out, chances are you’re going to take on some less than glamorous projects to make ends meet and to make yourself more well known as a freelance graphic designer.  Sure, designing a website for a local mold removal company might seem like a less than special task, but with the right mind set and inspiration, it’s possible.

Here are 5 tips to staying creatively inspired:

1. Take a break
Seems a little counter productive but getting up and away from the computer can sometimes lead to the most inspired designs. If you’re feeling frustrated with a project, get up and take a break. Do the dishes, take the dog for a short walk, play the guitar (this is a personal favorite). Taking a breather and revisiting a project a few minutes later makes all the difference in the world and helps give a fresh take on the the task at hand even if you’re only away for 10 minutes.

2. Get Outside
It’s cold a dreary here right now, but one snowy day I decided to get out and take a few photos of the snow covered trees and out buildings in my backyard. It felt great to take advantage of what some would say is “crappy weather” and use it as a source of inspiration. If you’re feeling creatively stifled, take a walk, sit on your porch with a cup of coffee and draw in inspiration from nature.

3. Read Design Blogs
Draw inspiration from others by reading/subscribing to graphic design blogs. Actively read and comment on design blogs. Any serious blog has an RSS Feed, so there’s really no reason not to be up on what’s happening in the graphic design community. Seeing what other designers are up to can open up new doors to your creativity.

Here are a few blogs I love:

Cmd Shift Design
The Design O’Blog
Grace Smith
Spoon Graphics Blog
CSS-Tricks
Smashing Magazine

4. The Oatmeal

I recently came across this site and spent a good hour LOLing at just about everything on this site. Humor aside, The Oatmeal is very well designed and will spark your creativity whether your an illustrator or a web designer, all while giving you a good laugh.

5. Sketch Sketch Sketch

This really goes without saying but I’ve met some designers that rarely open a sketchbook so it’s worth bringing up. You should always sketch out ideas before starting a project but sketching as a leisure activity can put down ideas that you can use in the future. It’s also fun and can generate ideas for the projects you have coming up. So, grab that Moleskine and get sketching!

Speaking of Moleskines, this site showcases amazing Moleskine art that will get those creative juices flowing.

In Conclusion:

Inspiration really is everywhere. The tips above are what works for me and is a great start to getting the creative juices flowing and will reopen your creative mind.