I read an interview with James Victore, and I enjoyed it immensely.  Victore is a hard worker, who stresses throughout the article that the key to design is not the time spent in the studio, but observing and using what we experience in our free time.  I like to agree with this, because as Victore said, "how many great architecture ideas have been drawn on napkins?"
I feel that a lot of students, even those who have graduated should look at design and art the way Victore does.  It has already impacted the way I view design, because until now I had been prepared to arduously spend time thinking about what I want to do.  I will now focus more on drawing ideas from what I experience outside the classroom.  An inspiring quote I read in the article was "It’s the work you do before you ever put pen to paper. That’s the important part."

http://the99percent.com/articles/6944/James-Victore-Dont-Be-A-Design-Zombie