When you are faced with a project or presentation that seems impenetrable try looking for creative ideas and solutions outside your particular area of expertise or discipline. Years of having to deal with multiple diverse publishing projects taught me to have a mental list of inspiration locations I could visit to get the creative juices flowing. Some of my favorites: card stores, TV sports graphics (this would give me a great excuse to watch Sunday football) and the local quilting fabric stores — fabric designers certainly must be some of the most creative people on the planet. I especially like their ability to experiment with and use color.
There are millions of sources in the real world and online for you to find and “borrow” creative ideas. Often the farther away from your field that you wander the more original and surprising the solutions can be.
