What is actually happening in the design industry?
I really don’t know what’s happening, as I’ve been a stay-at-home parent for a couple years now. I’m confident I want to go back to work, but I’m less confident about getting back into the design industry. The vibe is really weird right now and I think the reasons are complex.
As a previous-insider-now-outsider looking in, the design industry doesn’t seem like the best place to be right now. AI seems to be taking the negative brunt of this discourse, but I think that’s just part of it. With design software becoming more approachable and affordable to more people, design professionals have slowly become less respected and less utilized. Companies don’t fully understand the impact a successful brand design can create and marketing teams are often the first to be cut when the bottom line is threatened. Why have a team when you can pay one person to prompt AI?
It seems like a sad time to be a creative person, honestly. While the design industry is wonky, I do have hope that creatives will make it to another greener pasture. Getting there will be a sloppy process (AI pun intended) but I think the foundational tenants of art and design are the beacon of light in this dark time.
As such, I have turned away from design industry news and have focused my algorithm on artists. People creating art and design from scratch. People with true passion and skill. People using their hands to create physical artwork the slow and hard way. I’ve followed these artists as a way to get through the tougher parts of being a stay-at-home parent who doesn’t have a lot of time to create, let alone the energy. I’m able to find hope and inspiration from these incredible artists sharing their slow art online. I’ve been inspired to express my creativity in new mediums and expand my visual vocabulary. I can preserve my sanity and satiate the need to create while feeling connected to a creative community doing the same.
I refuse to pigeonhole myself into a space that doesn’t respect the background I come from and the work I’ve put in over nearly two decades. I’m finding that having several outlets allows me to avoid putting all my creative eggs in one basket so I have hope I can find a unique space for myself when I’m ready to return to the workforce. Will I find a place I’m respected and knows how to utilize my unique creative skills? Who knows! But for now, hope and inspiration from other artists is good enough.
