Chuck Trautman, Founder and CEO of Arizona Marketing Association

The key to creativity is to not force it – just let it happen. If you try to force it, your mind is likely to switch from creative mode to task mode and then you become focused on the things you need to do that day, instead of things to do for the future.
 
A lot of folks don’t believe they’re creative. In fact, the people who believe they lack creativity are probably in the majority. Even a lot of entrepreneurs may believe it’s more important to be analytical than creative, to be more left-brained than right-brained. Creativity is not about the ability to draw or paint. Creativity is about having ideas, and everyone has new ideas. I bet you’ve experienced getting sudden, new ideas like this: You’re driving, sleeping, or perhaps thinking about something else, and pow! A new idea pops into your head. 
 
Most successful businesses conduct brainstorming sessions with employees and work teams. Brainstorming is a great tool, because ideas really do build upon each other. The cardinal rule of a good brainstorming session is that there are no dumb ideas. Everything’s fair game. Participants share what pops into their heads, without fear of being chastised for whatever their ideas happen to be.
 
Embrace the ideas when they come to you and be ready to capture them!

Chuck Trautman