Fuel Your Creativity: Five Designer-Approved Boosts That Actually Work
Jun 04, 2025
It’s that time of year when the wheels are still spinning, but the creative engine is sputtering.
Design projects are still full speed ahead. Clients want everything yesterday. You're managing teams, events, orders, summer schedules, financials, and probably a bit of family drama, too. Somewhere between juggling installs and inboxes, your creative spark starts to feel a little dim.
Except--our work depends on that spark. Whether you’re designing homes, running a shop, leading a team—or all three—your clients rely on your energy, your ideas, and your clarity. And when your creativity is in a slump, it shows up in your work.
The solution isn’t a month-long sabbatical (though, if that’s on the table—go pack your bags). For the rest of us, here are five no-fluff ways to boost your creativity without blowing your schedule.
1. Do Something Unexpected for Someone Else
This might sound counterintuitive, but generosity is a serious creative accelerator.
Pick someone in your business circle—a subcontractor, a rep, your UPS driver, a client going through a rough patch—and do something unexpected and specific just for them. Bake a pie. Send lunch. Drop off a thank-you card or a tiny gift. Not because it’s “good business,” but because it’s genuine.
There’s something about spreading appreciation that clears mental space and resets perspective. It's not magic—but it does boost endorphins and momentum. And it works.
Bonus points if you do this for two people—just to double the karmic return.
2. Get to a Museum (or Take a Virtual Tour)
You don’t have to be an artist to benefit from art.
Take a couple of hours and visit a museum—ideally one with visual art. If you can't go in person, go virtually. Look at texture, shadow, color stories, and negative space. Let yourself respond to the work emotionally. No rules. No expectations.
Museums are my version of a spiritual reset. They quiet the noise and remind me of why design matters.
3. Take a Visual Field Trip
Grab your phone, head downtown, to the beach, or anywhere unfamiliar, and shoot what you see.
But here’s the challenge: don’t just snap pretty pictures. Look for unusual angles. Get low. Shoot straight down. Use the features on your phone you’ve never touched. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s perspective. Seeing the ordinary in a new way will nudge your brain out of its rut.
You may even walk away with some new artwork—or at least some fresh inspiration.
4. Design Something Just for You
No client. No approval process. No budget restrictions.
Dream up a space that’s 100% for fun. Go wild. Push your own boundaries. Use that new wallpaper you’re obsessed with but haven’t pitched yet. Try a layout or material you’ve been nervous to specify.
This isn’t wasted time—it’s creative stretching. It can feed your portfolio, spark a new service, or simply remind you that this work is still yours.
5. Learn Something—Anything
It doesn’t have to be a full certification or a weeks-long course. Just one thing. A single class, workshop, or even a how-to video on something you've been meaning to learn.
Take a ceramics class. Try a sketching workshop. Learn to use a new tool, app, or even figure out how to set up your smart home devices (I still haven’t). It’s not about mastery—it’s about movement.
Curiosity feeds creativity. And we’re at our best when we stay curious.
So if you are feeling creatively tapped, or simply need a spark to get through the season, give yourself the gift of a little mental reset. Feed your creativity with intention—and watch the rest of your work fall back into rhythm.
Cheryl Kees Clendenon is a business strategist who works with other small businesses and interior designers to create legacy businesses built for growth. She also owns a 24 year full-service design firm and retail showroom, In Detail Interiors, based in Pensacola, Fla. [email protected]
We are a multi-faceted coaching program!
Click below for more learning opportunities
Stay connected with news and updates!
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.