The day I became a better designer was the day I started looking outside the design industry for inspiration. It was the day I started reading books about philosophy, psychology, art or science.
It was the day I stopped hanging out with only designers every day and started making more friends in other industries. I started to make sure that in whatever office I sit, I have someone sitting next to me who is NOT a designer.
In psychology & cognitive science there is something called the “confirmation bias”. What it means is that we love to agree with people who agree with us. We tend to hang out with people who hold similar beliefs and make us feel comfortable.
We as designers are especially drawn to the confirmation bias. We are proud to hold strong opinions and therefore strive for internal consistency by seeking confirmation from our peers.
The issue with this is that we, as designers, create a bubble for ourselves. We visit the same conferences with only designers speaking & attending. We read magazines & books, from and for designers, and we tend to only hang out with other designers in perfect isolation. Our view narrows as we limit our field. Only interacting with other designers we avoid ideas or beliefs contradictory to our own. While it makes us feel comfortable & protected, it can also be an inspirational trap.