We are creatures of comfort. We are people of habit. That’s just how it is. The good folks at Design Sojurn really got me thinking on this.

Are we as designers, and as people, able to break this mold? Are we able to step outside ourselves to find that next level of progress?

Let’s hope so because, although the saying goes “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, if we never try new things, invent new ways, how will we be able to recognize when “it” becomes broken?

Do you have a particular way of doing/designing something? Has this been successful in the past and is something that you tend to fall back on regularly?

I know I do. But the times when I’ve stepped outside myself, challenged myself to actually try and do things against the grain. Those are the times when I’ve been most rewarded. I used to hate painting until I forced myself to use it for design purposes. The result was a piece completely different from what I had done to that point. Now I can’t get enough of it.

Sure we all have our methods that we know will work. The “Safe” choice, but as Pablo Picasso once said:

” If you know exactly what you are going to do, what is the point of doing it?”

In order to prevent a slow stagnation in the industry, it is up to those crazy few who go against the norm and challenge the status quo of thinking and creating. Somebody had to think “Hey, why can’t the web be shiny, and gelly?” Out of that thought was born the “Web 2.0″ logos of today with all their glorious gelly gradients.

For design to be better, for PEOPLE to get better, there has to be progress.

Do one thing tomorrow that makes you uncomfortable. Talk to a new person, think of a new idea, take a completely different approach to that new project.

Screw the box….think outside yourself!