Today i heard a good interview with the swiss architect Jaques Herzog of the well known firm Herzog&deMeuron. a few things of interest

• be of radical openness!! radical in the sense of being totally open to all ideas from the very root of your thinking.
• programm is sexy! do not fear the long lists of requirement, know those will only enhance your capablity to design. (sun tsu ="know your enemy")
• take the challenge to confront yourself and the project with the client and the context. it will only improve.
• thus do not resort only to your sensibility while designing, i will lead to a dead end in your creativity
• think in simple terms about what you have to understand
  

i hope this can help us all.