Let’s cut the new age, artsy mumbo jumbo and get down to what inspiration is really all about: Revision.

How did Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley come up with Rock and Roll? They listened to blues music and said “How can I make this even better?” How did Quentin Tarantino come up with Reservoir Dogs? He watched the Hong Kong crime thriller City on Fire and said “The ending of this movie is the best part, so how can I take that same concept and stretch it into a whole movie?”

That’s really what it’s about: Taking ideas you like, and making them even better.

So what’s the best way to go about being inspired? Well if you’re a web designer, the answer is simple; by checking out the CSS galleries listed below and saying “These designs are cool but… I think I know how to make them even better…”

http://www.css-website.com/

One of the more popular CSS galleries, and for good reason: There’s great stuff here. You’ll find high profile and obscure CSS designs alike. They accept submissions and post them based solely on quality. You can search by tags, date, even color. Lots of listings, and you might even be able to get one of your own designs in there to show off (and maybe bring in a few extra clients).

www.cssdrive.com

Another thorough, popular site, with a focus on subtle design sense. Here’s a pretty cool thing about this site: Roll your mouse over any image and you’ll get a snapshot of the pallete used in its design. Pretty cool stuff. Check out the forums if you want to chat with fellow web designers.

CSSelite.com

Lots of variety here. The daily “featured sites” could be anything from a colorful site for a Japanese pop band to an earth-toned site for an Italian restaurant. If you ever get the feeling that all of your designs are starting to look the same, check this site out and you’re sure to see some ideas you haven’t before.

CSSbeauty.com

CSS Beauty is focused on bold, eyecatching designs. If you’re wondering how to grab the visitor’s attention right off the bat, you’re sure to get some ideas here. You can also find jobs and social networking here, so not only will you get some new ideas, you might also get some new clients out of the deal.

bestcssgallery.com

A lot of variety here. The quality is… well, it varies, too. Some of the designs you’ll find here are a little plain, but there’s always something cool on the front page, and the cool stuff is really cool. Like we said, lots of variety. If you need to pull a wild card and get some new ideas right away, look no further. Likewise, you can look at some of the weaker designs and say to yourself “Oh well I can definitely do better than that!” and nothing’s ever quite as inspiring as reaffirming confidence in your own abilities.

css-gallery.free-css.com

Free CSS has some great stuff on it, but the main focus of the site is on networking with fellow designers, and that’s actually it’s greatest strength. Looking at a cool CSS design can help you get some new ideas, but talking about it, casually chatting and brainstorming with other designers, you’re going to wind up with more new ideas than you know what to do with.

http://cssvault.com/

The main focus here is on cool, clean, clear color schemes. Many of the sites showcased here seem to have a sense of color scheme minimalism. Whether or not you like minimalism, or a more colorful, varied approach, the immediate impact of a simple scheme can really help get the creative brain juices flowing, so check it out now and then if you just want to see some nice color work (and check out the resources section while you’re there).