Keri Smith describes herself as author/illustrator turned guerilla artist. One night when she couldn't sleep she made a 13 point list for How to Be an Explorer of the World. "1. Always be looking. 7. Notice patterns and connections. 13. Use all of the sense in your investigations." She distilled those thirteen points by connecting more dots...."artists and scientists analyze the world around them in surprisingly similar ways. Observe Collect Analyze Compare Notice Patterns.
I'm late in discovering this 2008 book, but it's timeless. Pick it up to break out of a rut.