As a web designer who runs his own design studio I find it very easy to get caught up in the flurry of day-to-day work and the business dealings of design.  Anything from client meetings, project deadlines, answering emails, and managing project tasks can be a sure fire way to derail any bout of inspiration and sap all creative attention.  Not that these activities aren’t important.  They are vital to the proper functioning of any design business.  But what I’m considering in this post is the critical importance of another often overlooked aspect of the design professional’s life. A principle that fails to get credit but one that is so powerful that it can make or break a design project, or any creative project for that matter.  It’s the difference between attacking a new project with creative fury and facing the same project with trepidation and no ideas in sight. I’m referring to the cultivation and nurturing of my own creative muse. (more…)