The Importance of Balancing Innovation and Convention
Every freelancer, particularly those in creative fields, must strike a good balance between forging their own path and following the leads of others.
As mentioned in yesterday’s post, successful freelancing demands the creation of genuinely new ideas and things. This helps you stand out from the pack, and will attract potential clients who are always looking out for something unique. Moreover, the first mover always enjoys other unique advantages.
Just take a look at Apple and its famous wet floor look. By simulating the reflection of an object, by placing an upside down and faded out version right below the original, the company created a distinctive look that’s still being used today. The wet floor also helped Apple gain the reputation as a progressive company that’s cool. Imagine what kind of exposure would do for one’s freelancing career.
At the same time, while it pays literally and intangibly to create something truly new, freelancers shouldn’t ignore conventional wisdom. Like I said, there’s a reason why it’s called that: it’s been proven to work really well, so much so that many people swear by it as the source of their success.
Conventional wisdom also represents the body of knowledge created from the lessons learned by others. Wouldn’t it be a waste if we simply ignored the results of the hard work and experimentation of other people?
Balancing trailblazing and conventional wisdom means being based on the fundamentals of your skill, while seeking new ways to apply them. While some of the top freelancers constantly push the envelope, they never forget the basics, breaking the rules only when there’s a good reason to do so. And to be the best, you have to learn from the best.
Ironically, what was considered new before eventually becomes conventional. After thousands of designers copied Apple’s design style, the wet floor became commonplace. Now it’s part of the visual characteristics that define a “Web 2.0″ look, and has been criticized as such. That’s a reason why we should never ignore trailblazing completely. If you create something that many people adopt, you can become recognized as its originator, and enjoy the benefits from such acknowledgment.
But if you always try to establish a new order, you’ll have a harder time achieving your long-term goals as a freelancer. That’s because you could be disregarding principles that so many before have spent so much time learning and perfecting. That’s a reason why we should never ignore conventional wisdom completely. Why reinvent the wheel, when it’s already available for you to build on?
Ultimately, the real question is: how much should you balance innovation and convention? Personally, I think the ideal is exactly 50-50. Spend half of your time sticking to old reliables, and the other half exploring new avenues. What do you think?
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POSTED IN: Great Advice, Living as a Freelancer, Ramblings of a Freelancer
2 opinions for The Importance of Balancing Innovation and Convention
What Does Marmite Mean? at Fool for Five
Jul 8, 2007 at 5:03 pm
[…] apparently Vegemite is a kind of Marmite. Anyways, thanks to some research for a post on the balance between innovation and convention, I found an interesting use of the word: I’m talking about the Wet Floor Look. Some people love […]
The Pluses and Perils of Pioneering
Sep 18, 2007 at 8:01 am
[…] has been said about the first mover advantage. Whoever becomes known as the first supplier of a high-demand service will become the first […]
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