Aspiring chess masters have to learn established sequences for the beginning portion of chess games – traditionally called openings. (There are hundreds, with names like “The Sicilian Defense.”) Learning these approaches is essential to avoiding blunders in games, and moving on to the more nuanced and wide-open middle game.
Creative work of any kind requires the same attention to whatever is the discipline equivalent of openings. In drawing, you need to learn shading tricks, perspective, etc. In my own work, it’s essential to understand circle-of-fifth harmonic motion, standards voicings, typical reharmonization techniques, and more.
The more openings you can master, the easier it will be to get to the nuanced and more creative work. You’re using these common tricks as a lever to open up your creativity.