Use Your Inexperience to Think More Creatively Early in Your Career
When you’re new and inexperienced in a field, it probably seems like a lack of experience is a disadvantage. While this may be true at times, it also puts you in a unique position that can allow you to be more creative than your old guard peers.
As Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman notes in her graduation speech at Harvard, the more experienced you are in your field, the more routines and answers you have to fill your head. The medium is harder to play with because everything you do reminds you of what you have already done. However, when you have no experience, your mind is a blank slate, which means you can come up with ideas that other people might not have thought of:
Your inexperience is an advantage that will allow you to think original and outside the box. Embrace your lack of knowledge and use it as your asset. I know a famous violinist who told me that he cannot compose because he knows too many pieces, so when he starts thinking about a note, an already existing piece immediately comes to mind. When you’re just starting out, one of your greatest strengths is not knowing how things should be. You are free to compose because your mind is not cluttered with too many pieces and you do not take for granted the way things are. The only way you know how to act is your own way.
Of course, this does not mean that the experience is bad. However, this means that lack of experience is not a curse, and it certainly does not mean that you are useless until you gain experience. When you’re just starting out, try to broaden your horizons and find more creative solutions to the problems you face. You may stumble upon a better path or a great idea that none of your contemporaries knew of.
Natalie Portman, Opening Remarks at Harvard | YouTube over 99u