I keep a composition book close to me. In it I scribble images of ideas for potential future pieces. The scribbles are kind of like a shopping list kept on the refrigerator to add to as the needs arise. They remind me of what I was thinking. It is all I need see in order to move forward with a piece.
Busy bushtits flock near my house with a tendency to occasionally squeeze together for a few seconds on a branch like fluffy ping-pong balls. Then they disperse, looking for tiny foods. These birds also squeeze together into hanging nests to hatch eggs and raise the babies until they are ready to fly.