Advertising legend Carl Ally once said, "The creative person wants to be a know-it-all. He/she wants to know about all kinds of things: ancient history, 19th century mathematics, flower arranging and hog futures. He never knows when these ideas might come together to form a new idea. It may happen 6 minutes later or 6 years later. But the creative person has faith that it will happen."

He makes a strong point. Knowledge is the stuff from which new ideas spring. But knowledge alone doesn't make a person creative. The key to being creative lies in what you do with your knowledge, and in how you connect existing ideas in new and unusual ways.

If you tackle problems with a creative outlook, you'll try all sorts of different approaches – they can be crazy, foolish or impractical - as stepping stones to practical new ideas. You won't be afraid to break the rules sometimes, or dig for ideas in unexpected places.

But how do creatives, or even non-creatives for that matter, find their muse? Here are some mental pitfalls that may keep you trapped in conventional thinking and some tips to unlock your creativity, no matter who you are.

Mental Locks

There are two main reasons we don't push ourselves to think differently more often. The first is force of habit – we're simply not required to be creative for much of what we do. The other reason is that most of us have certain attitudes we may not even be aware of which lock our thinking into the status quo. Roger Von Oech calls these "mental locks".

Here are 3 especially detrimental mental locks to be aware of and tips to help unlock them:

The Right Answer: Most of us are taught in school to look for the ONE right answer. While this is fine for many situations in life and business, it creates the tendency to stop looking for alternative "right" answers after the first has been found. Unfortunately, it's often the second, third or tenth right answer that solves the problem in a unique and original way.

So how do you avoid the "one right answer" trap?

    TIP 1: Don't stop at your first answer or idea. There are many ways to pursue alternate ideas, but the most important thing is to do it. Stretch your thinking, create word plays, free associate, and the results may surprise you.

    TIP 2: The answer you get depends on the questions you ask yourself and the people you're working with. Play with the wording of your questions to get different answers. Don't be afraid to be provocative or even silly.

That's Not Logical: Logic is an important creative tool in the practical phase of the creative process when you evaluate and prepare to implement new ideas. In the quest for new ideas, however, too much logical thinking can stifle your creative process.

    TIP 1: Stop making sense. For more and better ideas, a healthy dose of soft thinking goes a long way. Be whimsical, be abstract, think wishfully, ask yourself "what if". In the end, your best ideas will come from being illogical, but they'll still make perfect sense.

    TIP 2: Each of us has an "artist" and "judge" within us. Adopt the open-minded attitude of the artist first to stimulate your imagination and generate ideas. The analytical outlook of the judge represents the practical matters that must be addressed once those great idea are ready to be executed.

Follow The Rules: Nowhere is the expression "Rules are made to be broken" more relevant than in the creative process. A creative mindset is the polar opposite of rule-following. If you're afraid to bend or break the rules, afraid of what will happen if you do, you won't get very far. To be creative, you must be fearless enough to put your wildest ideas out there, regardless of what others will say.

    TIP 1: Play the revolutionary and challenge the rules, especially those that govern day-to-day activities. Just because something has always been done a certain way, doesn't mean it has to be that way forever. In fact, finding and discarding outmoded rules can be fun and lead to new ways of looking at things.

    TIP 2: Remember that playing the revolutionary sometimes has its dangers when it's taken too far. Advertising bad boy Jerry Della Femina, in a brainstorming session for Panasonic, once proposed the tagline "From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor". I would only advise going that far if you seriously crave attention.

Remember, the creative process should be fun. It should feel like play, not work. Creative thinking is like mental sex. And coming up with an idea that others recognize as great is one of the best feelings in the world.

Contact Janet at jlofurno@praxisagency.com.