Originally Posted by Tartan
The next time you see a challange or a contest (usually sponsored by fabric line) sign yourself up. They usually have either a fabric line or idea to work from and you have to create to show it off. This will stretch your creativity and you might surprise yourself.
Great idea - also, work from a photo of the physical world or a piece of art in another genre (obviously respect copyright at all times). This gives you clues to line, perspective, scale etc - the design 'rules' and you can begin to see what works artistically speaking and then you can begin to explore the reasons why something works then translate it into your own work. :-D