Association is a key creative skill. It’s what keeps your mind sharp and your ideas coming. As you go about your life, associate like crazy. Let your mind and imagination run wild and free. If you see an interesting object, start word-associating with it. Seeing a pretty flower might make you think of a vineyard, and then Jack and the Beanstalk, then geese, then Ryan Gosling, etc etc. Make those associations quick and snappy and try to see how far away from the original object you can get.