what to do when inspiration dwindles?

[rounser]

Basically - its just another "randomise stuff" tip.
But you can have lots of happy accidents that way.

Yup. I like to think of it as "subtractive sequencing". Often it's a lot easier to sculpt and modify a bunch of looped random noise-makery than it is to build up a sequence from nothing. Also, it teaches you what sort of thing the patch or sample is capable of, which may be more or less than you envisioned.