The problem is to keep it, not to develop it.

Because when we grow up, we build layers of control and limitations.

The tomb of your creativity is your own mind. The flow of thoughts, the bedrock of limiting beliefs.

I am lucky to still be a child. A 49-year-old child.

When I walk outside, I can stop and be fully caught by the vision of a flower, a funny shape of a rock, the water drops on leaves.

It strikes me directly. I have no barriers to “protect” me from the beauty of the world.

Reversely, my imagination can bring me anywhere at the speed of light. I can create endless worlds and objects.

In my daily activity, it is quite useful.

As a research scientist, I need to be creative. Not only to solve problems (90% of my activity) – some people don’t call this creativity -, but to craft a vision of how the world could work, build hypotheses and ways to test them.

But the realm of creation expands more broadly. From businesses to music pieces, I enjoy playing with ideas and imagination.

I won’t tell you all this to brag. There is no merit to it. I am wired like that. I can’t help it and sometimes (often) it can be annoying.

But I am more and more aware of how to use it as an advantage.

So how can I help you be more creative?

Why do we lose our childish selves?

Let’s consider what happens to our imagination when we grow up.

Initially, we are all magic, fantasy, detached from the real world. Which is quite annoying for many adults. And they will let us know, relentlessly.

“Don’t be a child, this is not possible!” “Stop dreaming!”

And many more remarks we were exposed to daily. Until we integrate them.

Don’t forget that our thoughts and beliefs are conditioned by our environment.

How to recover our innate creativity?

In a nutshell, the idea is to allow ourselves to become snotty-dirty-shorts-wearing kids.

Embracing our lost childishness and do two things:

1. play freely

2. get bored

We had lots of time as a child. A LOT. And very few obligations, or worries.

We had a lot of headroom to let our minds explore whatever idea or dream we had at the moment.

Sure, it’s more challenging in our adult lives. But isn’t it because we blindly follow the crowd and set ourselves to be reasonable?

Maybe it’s time to allow ourselves a space and a time where we can be the fearless and playful children we once were. And get our boring-narrow-sighted adult version of ourselves to leave us alone.

We deserve that.

The world needs that.

Be great,

Frank