Why you need to channel your five-year-old mind to ignite creativity

We’ve never been more productive. Deadlines met. Tasks ticked off. But somewhere along the track, we’ve lost something essential: space to be creative.

Instead, we’ve boxed creativity into certain roles, skills, even personality types – as if creativity only belongs to artists and designers. People often assume that because I work in a creative role, I must be good at drawing. Spoiler alert: I’m not. Sometimes it's hard to tell my son’s nursery drawings from my own. But for me, creativity is actually really about thinking.

Not simply thinking, but thinking freely. Creativity doesn’t like to be in a box and it certainly doesn’t like rules. It’s not about being great with a pencil or knowing how to use ‘pro design tools’. Creativity is a way of seeing the world. Looking at things upside down, where there are no rules, where 'can't' doesn't exist. It’s a fundamental human trait we can all access – if we’re open to it. But it takes time. And space.

We all need to be a bit weird

Creativity thrives on curiosity, openness, and yes – occasionally being a bit weird. But in most workplaces, that kind of thinking is deemed ‘unprofessional’ or gets siloed into ‘the creative department’. But creativity shouldn’t be confined to design or marketing – it belongs everywhere. In finance, legal, operations, HR. Creativity is about taking things that don’t quite work – or barely do – turning them on their head, adding something unexpected and transforming them into something wonderful.

In fact, the purest form of creative thinking often shows up in children. Kids don’t overthink, self-censor, or fear failure – they just try things. As we grow up, that instinct fades. We learn to play it safe. But as Sir Ken Robinson said, “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” This idea resonates with me. I am constantly inspired by my son. His curiosity is boundless. He’ll ask a question I’ve never even considered, and suddenly we’re off, exploring a whole new idea together.

To rediscover our five-year-old brains – when anything felt possible and imagination ran wild – we need to make space for creativity. That means carving out time to be curious, to ask questions others don’t. It means being vulnerable enough to share our out-there ideas, and brave enough to challenge the status quo. After all, some of the most brilliant ideas start out sounding ‘silly’ or ‘stupid’.

Why does it matter now?

But why does creativity matter now? Isn’t AI going to do it for us? With AI doing more and more of the heavy lifting, writing copy, designing visuals, building decks, creativity is entering a new phase. AI can accelerate the process – help us brainstorm, storyboard and speed up the path from idea to execution. It has raised the creative floor.

But now everyone can generate eye-catching visuals, and a new type of craftsmanship has emerged. Thoughtfully crafting prompts to deliver curated outcomes is a new form of AI-powered design. But when the floor is so high, it’s even more difficult to stand out from the crowd. We need to use these new tools in a truly creative way. And that’s why the really powerful inputs will continue to be human – empathy, observation, humour and cultural understanding. These are things that help us break through the creative ceiling.

AI can’t replace creativity, but it can create space for it

British actor and comedian John Cleese once described creativity as needing “an oasis of quiet” – a dedicated space and time where ideas can actually take root. He suggested you need at least 90 minutes: thirty minutes to ease into an open, creative mindset, and another hour for that creativity to turn into something meaningful.

It’s a good reminder, especially now. AI is brilliant at saving us time – clearing the small stuff, speeding up the slog – but we rarely ask what we’re doing with the time it gives back. Too often, we fill it with more meetings. More to-dos. More noise. The conversation around AI usually focuses on speed. On doing more, faster. But what if we used it to do less – and think more? What if the real gift of AI is space? Space to explore. Space to think like a five-year-old. Space to build our own 'oasis of quiet'. Because, I often find that’s where the good stuff happens. Not in the rush. In the pause.

It may be a cliché, but that’s why we often have our best ideas in the shower – it’s one of the few places where our mind can wander. When we’re not being asked to respond, solve, deliver.

We must protect the moments that don’t look productive

Today, creativity isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s essential for any business that wants to stand out in a world where the baseline is so high. It helps us navigate uncertainty, challenge convention, and build things worth caring about. It’s not just for designers or marketers. It’s for leaders, analysts, interns, anyone who dares to think differently.

But when creativity becomes a business imperative, we can't rely on the shower for our lightbulb moments. We must develop a culture where creativity thrives. AI can help – by buying back time and space. But here’s the challenge: use that time to reignite your five-year-old mind. Whatever your role, set aside at least one and a half hours per week for creative thinking. And protect it. Don’t fill it with box-ticking tasks. No agenda. No pressure to produce. Just space to think freely.

It’s in these moments we have ideas that find briefs. We see unexpected connections. And our child-like curiosity turns into something truly meaningful. AI gives us the space, but it’s on us – humans – to be responsible for what we do with it. And I say, we create.