@peterdrake Have you checked out the book "Cartographer's Toolkit" by Gretchen Peterson? It's great, with tons of examples and techniques from historic to modern. It's not only a cool guide to making better maps, but it's also a font of inspiration.
@peterdrake I feel that.
But that's the great thing about this book. You never have to read it front-to-back. It exists to be flipped through when you're bored/stuck/need inspiration.