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- Bennn10
This thread ;-)
- nar its more fight club! We'll be space cadets any at momentmugwart
- why 2 pics? one would have been sufficient to get the point across, no?chukkaphob
- its gonna be okBennn
- I honestly thought the first pic was a prayer meeting. Thank you for clearing things up with the second picfuturefood
- hehhehbklyndroobeki
- Nutter1
34, Copenhagen, Denmark,
Working part time in house and freelancing for the rest. Bit of a jack of all trades, graphic design, webdesign, web programming and what else is needed. Generally think I'm pretty good at figuring out programs and getting things done, but haven't really had much luck with my career.
Seen old class mates have their caeer really take off, been happy for them but quietly wonder if mine ever will. Didn't help that there were some rough years where my significant others health, going through a drepression and having a messed up family didn't really help.
We've talked about if I can't get a better paying full time job, perhaps I should get out of the design business while I can, and just do it as a secondary thing. Doesn't help that I seem to have a special talent for coming in second place at job interviews.
So I'm getting things ready for another round of job applications, hopefully I'll get lucky this time round.
- hang in there. I find my "downs" and depression actually positives. try and work out what it is and work on that.
I'm sure you'll get somewheremugwart - The depression was actually my other half that had for 4 years, turned out it was a side effect of some medication. 0.01% people get it according to the label.Nutter
- hang in there. I find my "downs" and depression actually positives. try and work out what it is and work on that.
- tank022
Hey remember this kid who wanted to make a QBN book. This should actually be it. These stories.
- Is he calling it Book of the Day?CyBrainX
- I'd buy the "old & design thread" book anydayArchitectofFate
- OBBTKN0
More like this, Ben:
Set can play Tyler Durden role, easy
- desmo2
- Recently turned 36
- No kids, not married but got a great girl
- Been working in the agency world since 22
- Freelanced full time for 4 yrs
- Was lucky enough to live in London, freelance, travel for 2 years in my 20s
- Currently a senior art director at an agency, but been really feeling the work grind lately. Getting completely burned out and unmotivated
- I hardly have enough gas at the end of the day to do personal side projects. But I'm trying.
- I buy a lot of needless material things to fill this void
- Is the natural progression for 'old' designers to be a creative director? At this point, that shit does not appeal to me
- Still feel incredibly lucky to be working in this industry for this long
- Trying to figure out whats next
- Like most of you, i feel like I'm at a fork in the roadGreat thread though. The stories are interesting.
- " Is the natural progression for 'old' designers to be a creative director? At this point, that shit does not appeal to me" feel the exact same way.lvl_13
- jpgjpg0
42, freelancing creative dev, Ottawa
Married, own a place, no kids.
Started as a flash designer in 2001 and used it to go anywhere I could. Moved to London, then to Edinburgh for my first agency job, then back to Canada for some more agency work.
Still kept pushing which got me to NYC and then Portland and then back to Ottawa, felt burnt out but kept at it. Then got a gig in Amsterdam.
Nowadays I'm back in Ottawa, work for myself, good client work - mostly web dev but from higher up the chain. I work a pretty relaxed pace just go with ebb and flow of freelancing. Sometimes there's lots, but mostly i set the deadlines and stuff gets done.
Took up the drums a year ago play in band, pretty handy around the house, do some woodworking. Anywho, i don't make as much money as i once did, but i make enough - my only worry is not being relevant - jesus, where did react and touchdesigner come from? :)
- garbage3
Early 30s. Worked 7 years in video editing, got fed up and have since focused more on writing and photography. Hoping to put out a book in a year. I'm making less but enjoying more. Will never, ever have kids; my dog and my girl are all I need. I eat a lot of vegan hot dogs, and don't really fancy living past 40.
- Great luck with the book. Please let us know how it goes.mugwart
- We will see. I actually am working on a photo book, and trying to get some shorts in legit quarterlies. It's scary, but exciting.garbage
- You sound content. Why wouldn't you live past 40?jagara
- The lady asks the same thing. I don't won't to get old, is all. To be fair, when I was in elementary school I always hoped I wouldn't make it to 30.garbage
- *want, Christ sake autocorrectgarbage
- nylon3
Graduated university in 1998 and was told by lecturers that you are a shit designer if you don't get a job in London.
Moved to London knowing I was a decent designer and simply could not get a job. After about 60 interviews, a husband and wife company gave me a chance. I LOVED it for like two years before I left.
Worked for other companies - one in particular who bullied and overworked me so I left and set up my own thing in 2005.
Have been blagging it to this very day. I know I am a good designer but stuff has changed so much - I feel very much out my depth and not even sure what to call myself title wise or if I'm actually any good. Sure, sometimes it makes decent money but the people I work for are fucking depressing and value nothing.
My work has enabled me to travel all over the world and helped me to move full-time to NYC in 2011. I literally sold everything I own (soul destroying) and rocked up at JFK with 3 bags.
Everything I have in this city has been due to putting myself out there, making real friends and generally trying my best to be a good person. I literally just got my green card this week so I feel I could go out and do something else if I wanted to.
I think I suffer from depression. Some days I feel worthless and what exactly is the point. I wish I had the balls to go and do something else but I don't think Im any good at anything else.
I get excited about things very easily but I also get deflated very easily too. I LOVE making things with my hands - partly because people value it if that makes sense?
I have recently started freelancing in NYC via agencies - the work is easy but the pay is shit because the agencies take a huge cut.
I will say the depression has gone away since I have been 'busy' - I think it makes me take my mind off things. For that reason, I am toying with going full time but I would have to tell all my business contacts and aqaintences. I believe my network in a certain sector could actually help me as they may stick their neck out for me but I find opening up very, very scary.
Work aside, I got married last year, have a baby on the way and we are looking to buy an apartment in NYC (wild). My family makes me very happy and am excited about becoming a dad.
If nothing else, the baby makes me want to knock it out the park and be the best dad ever...
Hopefully I won't be in the design world forever. Sad but true... Still can't put my finger on how something I love and am passionate about has been ripped out of me and is now just a way to earn money :(
- Have def felt this way, and this thread proves we're not alone. We should grab a beer sometime (or coffee if that's your jam).bulletfactory
- Congrats man, you won't get tired of being a good Dad. Its quite the opposite of working, although it will probably push you to the limit sometimes.slappy
- Bennn8
My first post was really negative. Here's some positive things ffs > I'm in the best physical condition i've ever been, thanks to martial arts, its gonna be 4 years in november i started this. maybe the best decision i've take lately starting martial arts, it gives me confidence and i learn lots of good life lessons. 'the fight is always against yourself, not the other' is one of them.
I travel every year and visit many places with my gf, we do a lot of thing i wouldnt do if i were alone. I have a condo in a cool part of the city. I make a really decent salary and dont have cash problems. I can buy almost every gadget i want.Thats better now :)
- Daithi5
Great thread!
I’m 37 in Dublin Ireland. Married with a house, a good wife and an amazing 2.5 year old daughter. Another baby girl on the way in January next year.
I run a small studio with a long standing partner who is a good friend. We do good work, the team is made up of decent hardworking talented people. Finances are always tight at home and at work and are my main source of stress. Sometimes I definitely allow it to get to me... I've gone through long periods of unhappiness in the past which I didn't address for many years. When I met my wife she really helped me to get myself together, and I learned how to find routes back to normality, balance and perspective when things get overwhelming.
These days I try to make some time for important things that aren't urgent and sometimes succeed. Perspective on where things are for me and how fortunate I am in the grander scheme can be hard to maintain, but I try my best.
- HNDSTTH0
35 Oakland, CA
For a few years, I worked freelance and owned a small woodworking company. Was working with non-profits in East TN in the mornings, and carving spoons and cutting boards in the evenings. Moved to the bay.
In January 2016 I worked with midsize design agency handling multiple client accounts at the same time. Everything was always rushed and unfinished feeling. The work was enjoyable about 20% of the time. The rest of the time making email templates and slapping logos on images pulled from stock image sites.
Spent March and April polishing up some original electronic music I released on YouTube and Soundcloud. DistroKid soon. It's going well but not something I can monetize at this point.
Launched and built a new portfolio. I want to specialize in doing motion graphics and keep a retainer of clients in the loop.
Currently identifying my next steps.
- since197910
Miami,
I used to work broadcast design. I was (and still am) a beast in Adobe After Effects. It was lucrative for awhile but increasingly tedious. I then became a producer and started making full campaigns for on-air and then, for some stupid reason, I became enamored with and learned flash thus becoming an interactive designer for broadcast networks.
That severely exhausted me so I took a sabbatical and began writing using paper and pencil. It wasn't the programming that killed me, it was the revisions and the file size compression that had me up extra hours of the night.
I wrote a screenplay, then another. Simultaneously, I landed an art director gig at a film production company. That led me to start a community program there to help actors with their skills.
That was my first "directing" gig that wasn't attached to a commercial entity. It was purely artistic exercise and it was liberating. I was used to style guides and quick deadlines. I witnessed how that limited my creativity. I was a robot.
I've spent the last 7 years making independent films and growing as an artist. I have expanded my writing through various outlets. I want to release a couple of poetry books and my second graphic novel because I like to make those between film projects and there is stagnation.
I've never had a huge budget on these films and my next approach is to work with bigger budgets and shit so now I have to create some packages, etc.
This was a decent exercise. Glad I wrote it. Thanks.
- oh and I wrote and produced a play. that was an exhilarating experience to say the least.since1979
- fucking cool. whats the name of the films and graphic novel?mugwart
- Seconding mugsy's question.garbage
- nothin worth mentioning, smallish personal projectssince1979
- Still love to see! Prefer that stuff than anything elsemugwart
- orly, my next shorts gonna be sicksince1979
- Miguex5
I'm about to turn 37, I have absolutely no grasp or control on where am I or WHEN am I.
I'm an atom of a spec of dust particle floating in the cosmos, I'm completely insignificant and so is all the time I placed into that logo I just finished.
- AMENsince1979
- You do pretty awesome stuff, even more considering that whole black hole issuedyspl
- The thing about the universe is that sure it's huge but it's more than anyone, so you have to relate to the universe on your own terms.CyBrainX
- Forget infinity and maximize your own surroundings. If you can manage that in some way, you're a deity in your own mind. Fuck anything else.CyBrainX
- scale is a man made constructinteliboy
- Don't listen to Jesuit space propaganda. You're not meaningless.robthelad
- You are utterly unimportant compared to the universe. You are immensely important to your family and friends. Relativity, baby.jagara
- The sun is completely unimportant to the galaxy.jagara
- And so on.jagara
- This is why you don't take shit from egomaniacs.freedom
- It's ok man, listen to Tyson: https://youtu.be/Da8…jtb26
- PonyBoy-7
I was recently told that I'm white and privliged and probably an asshole... so let's just go w/that...
... glad we had this moment, guize.
- lowimpakt3
just turned 39.
still doing design but mainly with policy and public sector clients. I hear the words "strategic" and "policy" more than I used to.
recently bought a house with my partner who I have been with for almost half my life. I love her more now than ever.
My friends constantly impress me with the creativity and general soundness.
I keep thinking I have bowel cancer so I should probably get that checked out.
- If you think you might have cancer, you should most definitely get that checked out! Please do. All the best :)jagara
- Do that.I thought I was as well, self cured by changing diet and cutting out certain foods. Id definatley look to that. All the best.mugwart
- "love her more now than ever" incredible.bklyndroobeki
- sothere2
43 In Sydney. After having respect, awards and recognition working as a designer in NZ I followed my GF to Melbourne. We have a boy now and that part is really good.
In Melbourne I worked for 2 years at a start-up full-service agency owned by Dentsu Aegis, I lead creative pitches and was just starting to get some traction when I was made redundant when we lost a major client. I'm pretty sure the CD made it so I wasn't relocated to other companies within the group like all my colleagues. A political move, which I understand. I was more experienced and capable making her job unsafe. She's doing well and getting respect and awards. Good on her. No grudge from me.
At the time GF was 6 months pregnant, followed by a difficult birth, recovery lasting months and requiring a further hospital stay. I didn't really work in that time as we both don't have a family to help us. So we got pretty poor. Now I'm finding it tough to get hired as a senior with no local experience. 41 interviews and counting, tough. But I got enough freelance to keep us fed though it wasn't easy without local experience. But after a year we've just moved to Sydney for my GF's career, unfortunately, that turned out to be a con job, so now we've both starting again.
When we arrived I got an interview at a top independent agency. They said they loved my work. Which after all that's happenedI kind of needed to hear. They didn't have a job at the time but I just want to let them know I was around. So today I see they just advertised for creatives, but as usual only for junior and midweight teams.
So help me out here. I'm not sure what to do. Should I say I'll do a midweight job at this agency and risk looking desperate, or stick it out, freelance and wait to get lucky enough for someone to hire me at the level I'm at?
Love some advice.
- Don't compromise by taking a job below your seniority. First of all, the money sucks. Secondly, you'll feel shit. Three, you'll signal people can walk ...Continuity
- ... all over you. Four, employers will know you'll fuck off the moment something better comes along, and won't hire you for precisely that reason.Continuity
- Best of luck manNutter
- Yes. That was my gut feeling too. thanks for the advice. and thanks nutter hope your future interviews work out.sothere
- What about an agent? I'm hearing more people going this. My BG is film vfx but there's got to be someone whom take you on and put you in the correct connectionsmugwart
- If oz hasn't any jobs why not move back home or somewhere up and coming. Your story has touched me. Hope you'll be fine.mugwart
- Your work is great manfate
- I've got to really hustle. I've been stalled by having the baby partner to look after. Now I have the time to work hard and visit people. Thanks fate nice of u.sothere
- agree with Continuity... you're the shit. Keep looking, you'll find something amazing.bklyndroobeki
- Poochie4
Dublin. About to turn 40. Just me and my dog.
Been doin' this internet thing for far too long.
- bklyndroobeki8
You guys inspire me.
- ArchitectofFate4
32, Stockholm, Sweden
Wish I had a cool story but I really don't. 2 kids, a wifey, a house in the suburbs. Got a steady paycheck at a dead end job.
I should be happy but feel like shit, I see my kids growing up but it's like I'm not even there. I'm just numb, someone even asked if I was suffering from high-function depression... I don't know if I need a creative hiatus or just more friends within the field, all I know is that something needs to change. My everyday thoughts echo in this thread.
Other than that I've a childrens toy under production getting ready to soft launch before christmas, and a niche t-shirt/poster thing coming to fruition. So I've got that thing going for me which is nice.
Also, fuck you Linked In, you smirking cesspool of lying hypocrites.
- If it's not depression now it sounds like it could be soon. Definitely worth getting some professional insight before it goes any furtherlowimpakt
- I had a breakdown at 30. I've been on meds since. It has changed my life for the better. They give you space to start a happier journey. see a doc. good luck.sothere
- Maybe it has just to do with daylight. You have a long winter up there. Germany is horrible already!SimonFFM
- Maybe, but I do get to retouch my fair share of half naked models though Simon ;DArchitectofFate
- Maaku3
34, Dallas, TX
I've been stalling to write this, but here it goes.
It's been a bumpy ride for about a year now, since last summer.
Got divorced, had a car crash, lost my dogs, lost my job, and have creative burnout from working in advertising for the past couple of years.Having 10 years of experience is almost a curse when looking for a job. Either too much experience (meaning they don't want to pay you as much) or you don't have enough experience (after 10 years, seriously?).
So, after 5 months looking for a job I gave up and decided to give a friend a hand with his startup. We're hoping to raise money this summer but the whole process is slower than we thought and it all seems like I'll have to go back to job hunting, again. It sucks, I really want to make this happen but I also need to pay my bills.
On the bright side, I started a ceramics class to get away from the computer. I love everything about it and could seriously do that for a living, and never complain. But that's out of reach at the moment.
Like some of you, I'm also numb. Trying to stay positive, we'll see how things unfold later this year.
- High five on going in on doing the startup. Something you're passionate about? Be patient. 5mo. isn't that long and startups always take longer than anticipatedaslip
- ^ You got it. Thanks.Maaku
- good call on the ceramics class. seems like a great way to get away from the computer and get your hands dirtycapn_ron
- My brother is on the DSVC board in Dallas. Not connected well there myself, but might be worth networking at DSVC event if you haven't already.aslip
- ^ Thank you, I'll check it out. Although I prefer not to work for agencies.Maaku