Childhood is a state of boundless wonder and imagination, yet somewhere along the road to adulthood, that limitless perspective often fades. In this episode of Innovation Café, Gary Shuster illuminates the power of “childlike creativity” as an inventor’s superpower—and explains why it’s never too late to rediscover it.
Childhood Creativity: A Hidden Asset
From the moment we start school, we’re taught not only what humankind has figured out can be done, but also what cannot be done. Children, however, haven’t absorbed all those rules yet. As Pablo Picasso put it, “Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” Young minds have no qualms about crossing boundaries that adults have learned to avoid.
This attitude drives creativity forward. Children ask, Why can’t something be done? They don’t accept “impossible” without testing it first. By contrast, many adults have learned to dismiss unconventional ideas—assuming an expert in the field has already tried it, or believing it’s too “out there” to try.
When Skills and Creativity Don’t Align
A core challenge for innovators is timing. Children brim with fresh ideas but lack the technical skills or resources to bring them to life. By the time they acquire the necessary skills—through schooling, degrees, or industry experience—they’ve often lost the fearless spark that fueled their earlier imagination.
Practical tip: If you have children in your life, encourage them to write or draw their inventive ideas in a special binder labeled “For Me When I’m 25.” Someday, they’ll have both the skills and the unfiltered creativity to pursue those concepts.
Creativity Under Pressure
Gary shares a personal story about his daughter receiving an F on a math test—even though she got every answer correct—because she didn’t follow the “right” method. This demonstrates a common pitfall: penalizing new ways of thinking simply because they stray from standard procedure. In truth, you can’t get the correct answer the “wrong” way; innovation thrives on divergent thinking.
Similarly, the habit of discouraging “too many questions” can stifle curiosity. In a culture that truly values creativity, there are no bad questions. For both children and adults, exploration and inquiry are essential to keeping imaginative thinking alive.
Rediscovering Your Childlike Mindset
Despite years of conditioning, that creative spark remains inside every adult. The challenge is to peel away the layers of “it can’t be done” and “don’t ask questions.” No matter your profession—engineer, designer, scientist, or physician—unconventional insights often come from crossing disciplinary boundaries and ignoring the usual limits.
Action steps for adults:
- Challenge “Impossible” – Before assuming an idea has been done or dismissed, do a little research. Sometimes, your fresh eyes can see possibilities that established experts overlook.
- Record Your Ideas – Keep a journal or digital note file of every creative thought. Even if it seems outlandish now, it might become invaluable later.
- Ask “What If?” – Open-ended questions spark new lines of thought. For example: “What if we applied a radiology technique to metallurgy?”
- Reward Divergent Thinking – If you lead a team, celebrate novel approaches that yield correct solutions—even if they ignore the standard playbook.
Linking Creativity to Intellectual Property (IP)
For inventors in the United States (and elsewhere), childlike creativity is directly relevant to intellectual property law. The U.S. patent system focuses on novelty and non-obviousness—qualities that often emerge from unrestricted, playful thinking. Outside perspectives can generate ideas that specialists deem impossible, leading to breakthrough inventions that qualify for patent protection.
- Novelty: If no one has publicly disclosed your unique invention, you could be eligible for a patent (if your invention is also not obvious).
- Non-obviousness: Even if the building blocks of your concept exist, your creative spin or unexpected adaptation can make the invention patentable (if your invention is novel).
Childlike creativity can be a competitive edge. It helps you see solutions others miss, which is exactly what the patent system was designed to reward.
Final Thoughts
Innovation flourishes when you dare to be a little childish—asking questions, ignoring preconceived limitations, and trying out unorthodox approaches. This “childlike superpower” is something all of us once had, and it’s still there, waiting to be reclaimed. Whether it’s in a classroom, laboratory, or corporate boardroom, encouraging free exploration may be the key to solving problems that traditional methods can’t touch.
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