Chilly

I think that the best thing to do when a person is out of good ideas, the creative block part of the question, is to do something off of ones normal beaten path, or even on ones beaten path but with an uncommon style of attention.
Off the beaten path could be visiting a new place, reading a new book, or attending an event one would ordinarily never pursue. How could one not get some ideas from that? Revisiting ones beaten path might be to walk that same familiar route one takes each morning but to be deliberate in paying close attention to things you wouldn't necessarily look at.
I actually wouldn't wait for feeling creatively inert to adopt this kind of practice. If it is a regular practice, it has preventative potential.
The author Julia Cameron, who also wrote a popular book for writers called The Artist's Way, calls the regular habit of such "excursions" Artists dates, an appointment with oneself to do something new and interesting that isn't art.
There is a guy named Todd Henry who consults with creative businesses, like design firms, who encourages specifically what he calls "unnecessary creating." He encourages people to build into each week a period of goofing around with a creative medium not their own.  So a writer might draw or a painter might write a haiku or a potter might sing. The point is to choose something different so that there is no performance pressure in it and so that one is effectively using different physical and mental channels.
Einstein used to pick up a violin. Richard Feynman played bongo drums and painted. In neither case were these simply pastimes. having more of an instrumental function.
 

I find if you're burnt out, a short break is necessary. For me, I have to take a day (not too much more or its agony going back) and do absolutely nothing that involves pottery. Get out of the house, go do some self care, whatever that means for you. Eat a good healthy meal that doesn't leave you too full and get some exercise. Have a bubble bath or get a pedi, or for the gents, treat yourself to a hot shave. Spoil yourself just a little.
Then when it's time to go back, pick something fun to do, even if it's kind of "off topic." It might develop into something important later, so it's not wasted time. Forgive yourself if the experiment doesn't work: added pressure doesn't help right now. Bribe yourself back into the studio however you need to with that project that you've been wanting to get to, or thing you wanted to play with, but haven't made time for yet. You have to find a way to play again.  Put some love songs or songs you love on the player. Creativity actually isn't a luxury for us, it's necessary. Delaying it too long makes us miserable. 
 
If you've left it too long and bribery isn't working, building momentum more slowly helps. I make up small tasks that have to happen in the studio, just to get me in there. The floor needs mopping, glaze waste needs dealt with, reclaim, I wanted to re-arrange a shelf, there's test tiles to reorganize and make notes on, etc etc.  While doing this mindless work, I find I pick up thought threads I'd dropped previously, and start noodling again. And if I didn't get anything made, well, I still got chores that needed to be done out of the way so I have the sense of accomplishment from that, and you try again tomorrow. 

I pug clay.  
There is no pressure.  Nothing that must be done.  No finish line.  No phones, no computers, no TV.   No control.  The pug mill tells me how fast to go,  gently ignoring any pleas to go faster...
Just lovely plastic handfuls of clay, Iike the first time you touched it.  In. Out. In. Out.  In. Out.  The mineral earth smell, cold and damp, squeezing through my fingers.  Slap into the hopper.  Down comes the plunger, extra force applied right to the bottom to leave no doubt about who is really in charge of everything in this little world.
Endless, rhythmic repetition (cut, smash, cut smash, cut smash), the low steady drone of the motor, the slow but inevitable extrusion of perfect worms, again, and again.
... hypnotic....like a wheel going round...and round....
...the mind wanders, ...  sequences of thoughts lead strangely down side paths.  Ideas occur, new but vaguely familiar, coming  from somewhere like things that happen in a dream.  Forms appear in your minds eye, once known, then forgotten and now rediscovered...  
have hours passed or only minutes?  No idea.  Cut slap smash.  It goes on.  You are far away now.
a distant call to dinner shakes you awake.. back to earth.  switch off the pugmill.  As the dream fades you quickly you scribble down a few thoughts, rough out a shape or two... 
tomorrow is another day.   As you drift off you know fresh pugs of clay wait silently in a neat stack, filled with possibility, daring you to try something new...
 
 

No so much "what's on my workbench", more like "what's in my studio, in the way of my workbench".
http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/gallery/image/10062-img_2199jpg/

What's on my workbench?
Clutter.  It's far too cold and damp to be out there this time of year.
My shelf at the centre, however, has rolled clay waiting to be turned into Herb Labels, there is an Owl drop mould sitting upside down, waiting to be fettled and put into the kiln, and there are mugs and spatula rests waiting for a ^6 firing.

What's on my workbench?
Clutter.  It's far too cold and damp to be out there this time of year.
My shelf at the centre, however, has rolled clay waiting to be turned into Herb Labels, there is an Owl drop mould sitting upside down, waiting to be fettled and put into the kiln, and there are mugs and spatula rests waiting for a ^6 firing.

It’s always interesting to see what people are working on, a one off pot, a series, pulling handles, working out a new design, glazing, glaze testing.… just a snippet from your day of something in progress.
My question would be what’s on your workbench? (pictures would be a welcome bonus!)

The "accidental" perfect pot.  Should have been this tall/wide, ended up different and was a success.

Exciting!

I did say, a while back, that I would set the next challenge, which I have failed so far to do.
But, watch this space, the non-christmas christmas challenge will be posted on 24 September, giving three months build time.

I did say, a while back, that I would set the next challenge, which I have failed so far to do.
But, watch this space, the non-christmas christmas challenge will be posted on 24 September, giving three months build time.

Which is worse:
 
Four days on the beach in the sunshine
or
Four days at Potter's camp in the rain

Do you wedge? What style? Ramshead, spiral, wire and slam, pugmill, etc. Why? Do you also orientate the spiral shape to the rotation of your wheel?

It is my understanding that they have a slip pump of some sort.  I will take some pictures on Tuesday and maybe someone can identify the equipment we have.
 
In Phoenix, humidity is not much of an issue...about 7 percent most of the time!  Even during the monsoon, the AC drys the air.  I will send this URL to Lonnie, who is much more knowledgeable about the ceramics than I am.  Hopefully we can find someone local who can come over and walk us through the process.  Our "second in command" volunteer had to go out of town for a family emergency, and won't be back for several months, so we are pretty much dead in the water right at the moment.  Maybe they can do some hand pours with your instructions.  Our current volunteers have never even seen a pour done. 
 
Can you possibly send a URL for a good online video?  I found one, but their molds are very different from ours...they were one piece.  Ours are all two piece, I think.  This program has been going for almost 30 years.  They have lots of equipment that has been donated over the years, but just no one right now that knows how to use it.  Lonnie knows how to fire items in the kiln after they are painted and glazed.  But we have always made our own greenware, and don't have funds to buy greenware.  (I hope I am using the correct terms here!  I am a complete ceramics novice.  Our woodturning project was in a corner of the ceramics room for a year so I picked up a bit of knowledge from osmosis!)
 
Thank you so much for responding.  Like I said, I am going to turn this over to Lonnie and he will be much more knowledgeable. 
 
Sharon

Hi Sharon, welcome to CAD forums, and good on you for volunteering.
 
I'm too far to away come and help, but slip-casting (pouring) is (to me) the easiest job in the studio.
 
Like everything though, you will need to test, test, test and make good notes.
 
Start with a two-piece mould.  Apply mould straps so mould cannot openup. Using a soft brush, make sure there is nothing inside, no dust, old clay, spiders nests........ Stir your bucket of slip thoroughly for several minutes.  If it's been hanging around for a while you might want to sieve it. Using a plastic jug with an open-bottomed handle scoop up some slip. Pour the slip into the mould until it is full to the very top. Hang the jug on the rim of the bucket, so it drips back into the bucket. Set a minute-timer for 10 minutes.  I use 10 for earthenware, 20 for stoneware slip, but this differs depending on heat and humidity. Meanwhile, find a pair of flat sticks or an old fridge shelf and place over top of bucket, to hold upturned mould. When timer goes off, use a plastic tool to cut a small v-shape (10mm by 10mm max) from the setting slip in the pour hole so you can see the thickness of the cast. Re-set timer for more if needed. Pour slip from mould back into bucket. Leave mould upturned on sticks until slip stops running out. Leave upside down, or right way up for several hours (again this depends on humidity), until you can see the clay start to shrink away from the mould. Use thin end of plastic tool (lucy tool - http://www.cromartiehobbycraft.co.uk/imagecache/c0b4830c-141b-490c-999d-a27e00a10685_800x479.jp)  to remove clay from the pour hole.  This action is a bit like scraping round a bowl with a spatula to remove all the cake mix. Undo mould straps. Place mould on side with seam horizontal.   Use thick end of plastic (lucy) tool to gently prise the two halves of mould apart, then lift top half of mould away from bottom half. Allow to dry a bit more, then carefully remove "pot" from mould. Put the mould back together, with mould straps and leave in a dry, airy place for <>24 hours before re-using (depending on, yes, you've guessed, the humidity. Place pot on thick piece of foam and fettle (clean up the seams etc) when leatherhard. Wash, rinse, spin, repeat
 
The really difficult bits are deciding how long to leave the slip in the mould, and knowing when to open the mould, and the physical size and weight of some of the moulds.
 
Not enough/too much time = too thin or too thick castings.  Opening the mould too soon usually results in tearing the pot apart as it is still sticking to parts of the mould.  Leaving too long for a simple vase, say, might not be a problem, but for a complex figurine, the shrinkage can pull the pot apart.
 
You can allow any boo-boos to dry completely and then throw them back in the slip bucket, or start a new bucket and add water.
 
You can add (I recall) up to one third recycled, dry slip to a bucket of new slip without too much problem.  More than that and you need to read this article: http://www.ceramicindustry.com/articles/84299-ppp-successful-slip-castingand then this one: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/527ac372e4b0d4e47bb0e554/t/527fd7f1e4b0c046bfa9b90d/1384110065234/Dispersant+Addition+Procedures.pdf.  It's a bit heavy going, but doable.
 
 
Good luck     

or
 
Any two methods:  slab and extrude, wheel and extrude, slab and coil.........