The child within the creative: Why growing up can be a creative block

It’s impossible to write this without getting a teary eye and a sudden urge to find your copy of Pandeymonium. Chapter 5, Page 47.

Don’t let the child in you die. 

He or she is the genius. You are not. 

Piyush Pandey

As adults, many of us treat creativity as a mysterious talent reserved for a lucky few. Yet, when we were children, imagination flowed freely. Why does that spark dim with age, and how can we rekindle it? 

Curiosity vs. efficiency 

A NASA‑backed study on creative potential found that 98 percent of four‑ and five‑year‑olds scored at a creative‑genius level, yet by adulthood only two percent do. 

Nurturing creativity and curiosity alongside critical thinking prepares children for an increasingly complex world. When they follow their interests, make choices and collaborate, children develop the habit of exploring possibilities without fear of judgment. Adults, on the other hand, accumulate knowledge and rules.

Our brains become pattern‑recognition machines. Lateral‑thinking pioneer Edward de Bono notes that the mind’s pattern‑making tendency, while useful for efficiency, can also lead to rigid thinking and make it hard to see alternative solutions. This is why our daily commute blurs into sameness; we stop looking for new details and revert to autopilot. 

How to challenge assumptions: The ‘why’ technique

Breaking out of established patterns requires a conscious effort to question them. De Bono’s “Why” technique does exactly that: one person plays the “student” and repeatedly asks “Why?” about a familiar solution, while the “teacher” answers. By refusing to settle for the first explanation and drilling down into assumptions, participants generate alternative perspectives. The exercise can feel uncomfortable, but discomfort is a sign that new ideas are beginning to surface. The Why technique works in any discipline, from engineering a mobile phone to rethinking a business model.

Overcoming the fear of being wrong

Another barrier to adult creativity is the fear of being judged. Creativity researcher Bob McKim demonstrated this through a simple drawing exercise: when adults were asked to sketch the person next to them, most apologised, laughed awkwardly or tried to hide their drawings, already convinced they would look bad. Children given the same task reacted entirely differently. they proudly held up their drawings, eager to show what they had made. McKim concluded that this instinctive fear of peer judgment is what makes adults more cautious, and therefore less creative.

Start with the worst 

Start your brainstorms with “worst possible idea” sessions: participants are asked to propose intentionally absurd or impractical solutions. This playful inversion reduces inhibitions, makes the session more enjoyable and often leads to fresh ideas when those “bad” suggestions are flipped into viable concepts. 

Similar principles underlie the “wrong answers only” trend — by inviting deliberately silly responses, it frees people from the pressure to be correct and sparks unexpected connections. Even ChatGPT can serve as a judgment‑free collaborator when asked to come up with ideas that don’t make sense.

Practical ways to rekindle childlike creativity

Growing up doesn’t have to mean growing out of creativity. Here are some practices to strengthen your creative muscles:

Start with nonsense. Resist the urge to begin with the logical solution. Beginning with something seemingly absurd can lead to surprising combinations. 

Play with problems. Approach challenges as games. Role‑play, doodle or build models with toys. Play removes pressure and stimulates divergent thinking.

Embrace silliness. The “wrong answers only” trend on social media shows how freeing it is to explore intentionally incorrect ideas. Being deliberately silly can reveal hidden assumptions and spark laughter (an antidote to fear).

Take a different route. Break your routine by choosing a new path to work or rearranging your schedule. Novel stimuli disrupt mental patterns and make you more observant.

Walk it out. A Stanford study found that walking boosts creative output by an average of 60 percent; the act of walking, indoors or outdoors, increases creative thinking. 

Break a rule—safely. Whether it’s using a calculator to type words (8055, 80085, 707, 200, 07734) or questioning why a phone must be rectangular, bending rules can lead to fresh perspectives.

Don’t fear mistakes. Innovation comes from deviating from convention; risk‑taking and errors are integral to the process. Treat mistakes as lessons rather than failures.

Think of quantity not quality. The creative pursuit is not about finding a right answer, but to find the most interesting ones. The first ideas are always predictable; originality lives in the later ones. Quantity forces us past logic and into creative discoveries.

Adults often romanticise childhood but forget to carry forward its essence: curiosity, playfulness and openness. Piyush Pandey, who famously advised never to let the child within you die, has a point. By asking why more often, challenging our own assumptions, and giving ourselves permission to play and fail, we can rediscover the creative genius we once had. Maybe even a trip to Disneyland would help. And if that seems to be off the charts, you always have Chapter 5, Page 47, Pandeymonium. 

This article is penned byRohit Singh, Creative Director – Bangalore Office, Social Panga

Disclaimer: The article features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the stance of the publication.