Hi Steve, Judging from the comments thus far it seems that everyone goes through this, I hit a wall about a month ago where I was finding other things to do than taking shots and spending time in front of a computer. So I had to reflect on that for a while and I came up with a few thoughts that maybe we can identify with.
1) If you are shooting photos for a living and you get a good variety of shoots, people, products, web, real-estate, tourism, fashion, sporting events etc you may get a little jaded but the cycle turns around quickly when you get that next wow shot.
2) If you are taking photos because you want to further your knowledge and have a hobby/aspiration to make a few bucks along the way but not doing it for a living then you are the most vulnerable because you run out of ideas, you start to doubt your real worth and realise that making a living from taking photos is the same as most other businesses you have to work really hard for modest gains. The cycle starts to feel repetitive and as you get better at taking photos and seeing what is / is not going to make a good photo you become a little more choosy about what you take photos of and you get jaded fairly quickly. I feel at my best when I'm being engaged to do a shoot, as this does not happen that often because I am gainfully employed in another area I often feel the cycle of not today I can't be bothered taking a photo because I just don't feel for it right now. I have also learned that this is fairly normal and if it goes on for to long I go out and take some shots at the speedway with a friend of mine. If not the speedway then something else that I have not done before. Examples are playing with perspectives (man stepping on building), speed photography with a water balloon and just your own reflexes to fire the flash. Some product photography like a booze bottle, and trying to set up a photo that tells a story. The more mentally challenging it is to set up the photo the more satisfaction you get and the faster you move your cycle.
3) Enthusiasts who take photos to suite themselves, people who have a particular interest for example macros, birds, landscapes. Some just love to take photos of what they see and frequently have a camera at the ready or at least at short distance. These are the people who are generally well organised and passionate about their photo taking and don't really care what others think. They strive to get better for their own enjoyment and not driven by others perceptions. They too go through this cycle but really quickly.
The bottom line I think is we all go through these stages and we emerge being enthused and always learning and adapting technology to better our craft. It has been very interesting to see just how many people on this forum go through the same thing, and I'm sure it is a reflection of the wider population.
Kind Regards
Livio