Should you Bring your Inner Child to Work?

Our Inner Child Is Too Quiet. And It’s Killing Creativity.

Do you remember when you were a child and asked “why?” about everything?

Why is the sky blue? Why do we have to work? Why can’t we fly?

My first book was "Porquê?" - translates to "Why?". It was filled with big and small curiosities about the world—answers to questions I didn’t even know I had.

"For years, curiosity was a superpower. But at some point, we stopped asking."

Now, fast forward to adulthood. At work, how often do you ask “why?” without fear of sounding na?ve? How often do you follow your curiosity without worrying about being wrong?

Here’s an uncomfortable thought: we are living in a creativity crisis.

And no, AI is not the only one to blame.

The Problem Started Long Before AI

Technology may be transforming the world, but the creativity crisis started long before artificial intelligence took over. The truth is, we have been conditioned to conform.

Our education system still operates like an assembly line from the Industrial Revolution: we are trained for a specific task, to follow processes, to optimize efficiency. Not to question.

The result? For years, we are taught to find the right answers instead of exploring great questions. Then, we enter the workforce, where companies demand innovation but reward predictability. Where creativity is praised, but performance is measured by rigid KPIs.

And when we stop exploring, playing with ideas, and testing the absurd, we hand over creativity to AI models that simply recycle the past.

If we can’t imagine alternative futures, how do we expect to anticipate trends or identify insights that truly matter?

The Data Is Clear

Creativity is not just an abstract concept or an artistic luxury. It has a direct impact on business and the economy.

• McKinsey found that highly creative companies outperform their competitors in revenue growth and shareholder returns. (McKinsey)
• An Adobe study revealed that 80% of people believe unlocking creativity is essential for economic growth, yet only 25% feel they are living up to their creative potential. (Economia PR)
• The World Economic Forum highlights creativity as one of the most important skills for the future of work, yet it remains undervalued in many organizations.

If creativity generates so much value, why is it still being suffocated by processes, bureaucracy, and the fear of failure?

What Can We Do?

If we want to predict the future and anticipate trends, we need to relearn how to ask, explore, and fail without fear. The best source of insights has always been—and always will be—our own curiosity.

It’s time to bring our inner child to work. To question more. To explore wild ideas. To play with solutions without the fear of being wrong. Because if curiosity becomes a luxury, innovation will become an exception.

But let’s be clear—no tantrums allowed. ??

What do you think? How can we create workplaces where creativity isn’t crushed by the fear of failure? Drop your thoughts in the comments! ??