Workshops are a great place to learn. I've taught and taken clay workshops throughout the years. For me, the end goal is usually a new skill or information in the art of clay. The extra added bonus, I've found is the people connections I've made and the sharing that goes on with all class participants.
For example, Pinterest is the 'gold mine' I discovered while taking a clay workshop in Charlotte, NC. One of my class-mates asked if I'd ever heard of it. No. She opened up a whole new world of creative exploration for me.
In the olden days, I would collect pictures from catalogs and magazines to store in an 'idea notebook.' I used these visual images to trigger my own creative juices -- maybe a new shape, type of vessel or color palette would emerge from leafing through my collection.
Now, Pinterest has become my creative muse. I store and explore Pins on a regular basis. It has expanded my creative world tenfold.
Here is one of the latest pins I've added to my collection.
I guess my message is simply this: don't stop learning and expanding your creative horizons. Creative inspiration can come from all kinds of resources -- just keep an open mind and you'll discover your own!