Novelty Kills Quality (why you should be bored)

To become really good at something, the novelty needs to wear off. 

Creators can get too excited about the novelty of the work or the project, then create a worse product because of that. For example, if a videographer is filming a concert with a backstage pass for the first time, she might be overwhelmed by the access she has to the talent. It’s a novel experience. Which could cause her to be nervous, or to try to get the perfect shot, forgetting the other shots on her list. 

And it’s not just big opportunities that can make a creator a deer in the headlights. Sometimes novelty gives creators a false sense of the quality of their work. This happened to me a lot when I was a young musician. I was so excited to be playing guitar and singing, because I had always imagined myself dong it. So even when I practiced alone in my room, the novelty was loud, drowning out the mistakes I was making. 

A seasoned professional can come across as a little bored. Because the novelty has worn off. They don’t care that they’re filming an A-list artist, or playing the coolest song on the world. They focus on the craft and create the best thing they can. 

When I started my career, I wondered what separated me from the seasoned freelancers I saw working the gigs I wanted to. I could have done exactly what they were doing. Now I realize: seasoned creators are in the moment, because the novelty has worn off. They can just focus on the work.