I do use templates quite a bit, but I try at least once a week to do a minimum of 1 page without a template. I don't know...I feel like it's a way to challenge myself, I guess.
For inspiration, a lot of times, the kit or product itself tends to inspire me because I have a tendency to want to use as many elements in a kit as possible. I also will browse Pinterest for inspiration (especially the paper layouts), and of course, the gallery here is always teeming with tons of inspo!