I was recently talking with a friend about how we view creativity in the workplace and it made me think of the movie Disney’s The Kid. Here’s the movie description:

Successful, high-powered Russ Duritz has spent all of his incredibly empty life forgetting the child he used to be — until one day, he meets him face-to-face! Thinking this kid is a hallucination, Russ does everything he can to make him go away. But 8-year-old Rusty , who’s anything but happy that he grows up to be a loser without real meaning in his life, can’t leave — at least not yet.

For many of us, a moment (or collection of moments) happens in life that makes us believe something along these lines…

• We’re not very creative
• Creativity is childish
• Part of growing up is giving up on being creative

When did you lose touch with the creative “kid” inside of you? Did someone tell you that you weren’t a good artist? Did you think you got too old for creativity?

If he paid you a visit, would you welcome him or try to get rid of him? Do you push back when an uncertain idea comes to mind, opting for a “sure thing” instead? Do you stop with the first solution, or do you let the kid help you generate alternatives?

No matter how long it has been since you were connected with the creative kid inside you, she is still there. The opportunity is still there to take on your creative identity. Embrace the kid.