Our recent poll showed that "dealing with difficult clients" is the #1 least favorite thing about being a graphic designer... 33% thought so. Here are several tips for handling sticky situations:

• What To Do When a Client Insists on a Particular Style or Design: Clients will often insist on making certain creative decisions, even when your expertise as a designer will benefit the project. Explain yourself clearly to keep the project on track and the client happy.
• What To Do When a Client Will Not Pay: Getting clients to pay on time can sometimes be difficult, but it's important to keep the relationship going while getting paid in full.
• What To Do When You Want to Raise Your Hourly Rates: There is nothing wrong with raising your hourly rate, and learning how to tell clients will keep them on board and earn you more money.

Olympic logos (of some sort) date back to 1896. I found a full list of them and couldn't help but pick my favorites... Mexico '68, Montreal '76 and L.A. '84 (maybe just because it takes me back). The most recent ones aren't doing as much for me, though London 2012 certainly is different. What are you favorites?

Sometimes the best way to break out of a creative slump, or to just take a break for that matter, is to talk about things OTHER than design for a change. If you're ever sitting at home, a solo freelancer perhaps, looking to do just that, check out the water cooler in the forums. Of course, if you want to stay on topic, you can get plenty of feedback and tips in there too.

I find inspiration from many sources and all kinds of great design. One of my favorite blogs to read is Apartment Therapy... while not specifically focused on graphic design, there is plenty in there in terms of product design, furniture, and anything for your home. Aside from seeing what other people's apartments look like (check out some of their home tours), the often-updated and very popular blog is a interesting source of inspiration from a field outside of our own, though often overlapping.