Getting older and working in design

  • Started
  • Last post
  • 129 Responses
  • ptrdo62

    61. Been at it for 42 years. Rough patches, sure, but the best work I've ever done has been just now. Keep it that way and you will survive. Survive, and you will bubble up. Don't worry about the kids, they don't know any of the things you know. Let that be your confidence. Confidence is key. But if that's not working for you, it might not be you but what's around you. Apply for something new. Always be applying. Never stop. It keeps you relevant and gives you practice defending yourself. Take the job or turn it down. Turn them down a lot. It will keep you young.

    • Good advice!nocomply
    • and still posting on QBN!uan
    • +1oey_oey
    • Yes, good advice. It's not as easy as it sounds, though.SimonFFM
    • ptrdo is our wise elder. Please teach those close behind you in age.shapesalad
    • Love this. Being 46.de4k
    • +2fisheye
    • Yup, kids don't know shit.babydick
    • Thanks. Insightful!maquito
    • Turning 40 next week... thanks for the advice!desmo
    • 47 - this is the way_me_
    • 38 here; on the fence of young/naive AND old/wise. Not a girl, not yet a woman.

      : )
      ideaist
    • Now that I'm getting close to 42, this is very comforting. Thanks, and congrats.monospaced
    • 44, very timely. thank you.wordssssss
    • I never had kids and don't know how I would have, knowing how unstable working in design is. The anxiety during the rough times is still difficult.CyBrainX
    • Aside from that, I commend you on your positive outlook,persistence and turning down the bad jobs. I just turned down something in NEWARK 2 min. ago.CyBrainX
    • wow i thought i'm the oldest here more less @54. i share your views 100%. turn down jobs a lot is my mantra ;)renderedred
    • damn am I the youngest here?!

      Good advice and I would add: always stay curious!
      grafician
    • 45 and feel like my best years as a designer are still ahead of me.bocadeets
    • +++GuyFawkes
    • Post of the year.DRIFTMONKEY
    • 43 and just accepted my best role yet after 1 week of negotiating. Always network, always follow the work, and never settle.whatthefunk
    • 45. 21+ years in web/ad agency doing digital. From Junior to Senior, started company, CD, sold company, worked with buyout company....microkorg
    • ...had kids just after sold company. 1.5 yrs ago jacked it in and moved to tech company as product designer. Wish I'd done it years ago...microkorg
    • ...strictly 9-5. no lates! no bitching, no stress, better work/life balance. Time to do freelance design work on the side of clients I choose! Hobbies & Kidsmicrokorg
    • 4 more upvotes and they will match your agedee-dubs
    • 56 here, it's good to here from someone still working past 60. I'm not tired of the profession and think older designers bring something different to the table.Josev
    • 46 - so true currently on an upswing after some meh years, great advice!jpgjpg
  • CrimsonGhost11

    I'm posting under a second profile - 50% embarrassment and 50% because some of you know me outside of qbn and I want to be honest.

    I'm 41 and worked for an entertainment company for well over a decade. First as a graphic designer and web developer and ultimately taking on the role of art director for my department. I lost my job in January '13 when the company decided to outsource my department.

    I've been freelancing since then but lately it's slowed down to the point where my wife is basically supporting me. I'm amazed how undervalued our work is. People expect to pay a few hundred bucks for branding work you all know what's involved in creating.

    I, in a very Stockholm Syndrome kind of way tried getting another corporate job. I've gone on many interviews where I'm told I'm "overqualified" which is code for "we can get someone fresh out of school for way less." I even went on one interview where they asked me what I would improve on their sites and how, while a woman took notes and they thanked me for coming in. I saw many of my suggestions implemented on their site a month later. The result of all of which has made me feel unbelievably irrelevant.

    I got to a pretty bad place and tried ending things last month. "Things" being me.

    Yes, I've been getting help. I've always been an artist and creative and I wish I could figure out what my next path should be.

    • It's not easy. Thanks for sharing.Ben99
    • Damn. I share the same sentiment as benfal. Be well man.mrpt
    • It's not easy, but as long as we are alive and healthy, all the rest can go to Hell. We are full of possibilities and we will always find a path.Ben99
    • Sorry to hear it CG, glad you're getting help.EightyDeuce
    • Damn, sorry to hear things got so bad. Hope outlook is starting to look brighterdee-dubs
    • Stockholm Syndrome reference...brillian...utopian
    • Thank you. I'm 36 and can see similar challenges coming on the horizon. It's scary. And I'm single with no one to count on...LOKi
    • the path of a jedi is rarely even, my friend. stick with it, i'm sure your wife will be grateful you didn't give up :)scarabin
    • I wish I had an answer for you, as it pains me to read this. Please let me know if I can help in anyway.Knuckleberry
    • Well played on putting it out there.

      http://www.gq-magazi…
      MrBixler
    • If you figured out what your next path was going to be, what would you know? --heydude420USA
    • As cliché as it might sounds, I was in the exact same place as you 3 years ago. and I mean.. exactly the same placeFabricio
    • But time does gets things sorted my friend, hang in there. I didnt have a wife 3 years ago (well, im gay.. haha) but things were looking really bad...Fabricio
    • Looking back now, my life has changed so much lately, and yes, once in a while I get the desperate of (fuck, where are the jobs coming from! There is no work!)Fabricio
    • All I am trying to say is... (in a very inarticulate manner) do not give up, please! Write me an e-mail, and we can chat about this ok?Fabricio
    • Thanks for sharing you too Fabricio. I'm sending positive waves to everyone in here.Ben99
    • I'd hope to think it's obviously your next step to greatness. The universe wanting you to focus on something. Have you figured that out?CGN
    • Allan watts is always a joy to listen too aswell https://www.youtube.…CGN
    • good one https://www.youtube.…CGN
    • Shit man. sorry to hear you got into that state. Hard for words from strangers to help but please try to stay positive. Millions of people have bad patches.HAYZ1LLLA
    • Sorry to hear that man. I know this is all just talk on the internet, and people saying try this, try that doesn't actually do much,ESKEMA
    • but that's the only way we can help right now.. Have you tried creating your own product / service? Being less dependent on companies and dealing directly withESKEMA
    • customers might be a solution. Or a path to another solution.. I don't know..ESKEMA
    • i've gone through similar things. it's not easy but don't ever give up. you never know what and when something might happen. i was really surprised a few times.renderedred
    • Fuck... Dude, work is just work, 90% if this is being able to sell yourself! I was a good designer... Not great, but now i pretty much don't even open PS...necromation
    • ... as i'm a CD. Sure it gets tough but death!?! Why let them win?!? Learn to play to your strengths and make yourself wanted... the rest is easy.necromation
    • you've solved many problems in your career, this is now the one you need to work ontimeless
    • teach what you do, mentor students, consult, anything to keep you in the gametimeless
    • thought of this during one of my dark times https://www.etsy.com… now it makes us a few thousand a yeartimeless
    • I love ESKEMA's idea . . . creating your own product / service? Being less dependent on companies - start your own item / thing : field notes? holy ftimeless
    • it's just a blank notebook done well - sorry getting off topic. I know we're all saying things to bring you back up - are you reading these?timeless
    • hope they're helping alongside the help you're already getting. hang in there - I know it sounds like a cat postertimeless
    • Thank you all so much. I wrote a response on Page 2. Too much to add in one note.CrimsonGhost
    • Courageous post CG. Thanks for sharing. I'm hitting 40 too this year.Calderone2000
  • scarabin12

    I got into design because as a kid adults would ask me what i wanted to be when i grew up. “Artist”, i’d say. They’d correct me and say that’s no career. The right answer was “graphic designer”. So i changed my answer.

    As it turns out design is *like* art but with all the fucking soul sucked out of it. I became a designer and it ruined the artist in me. So fuck those clowns.

    If you ever ask a kid that question and they say they want to be a dinosaur or explorer when they grow up you fucking tell them it’s fantastic idea, don’t correct them with some bullshit adult “no i mean how do you want to sell your self to make someone else rich” answer.

    Adults are stupid and work is a scam. Be the best T-Rex you can be, MF. I’m only now giving myself permission to do that.

    • On the other hand I know a bunch of artists who didn't go to design school and they're very poor.nb
    • But I fully agree 100% DO NOT EVER correct a kid on their dreams!!Just because you're dead inside and a failure does not mean you should encourage more failure!nb
    • One dude decided he wanted to be a gorilla and landed the part in half a dozen hollywood movies. Do what you wanna do. Be poor. Who caresscarabin
    • Dude I wanted to be a designer when I was a kid. I made class stationery in 2nd grade. And I had a logo for my superhero character. And I drew it everywhere.monospaced
    • That’s awesomescarabin
    • Gayyyyyy
      Jk
      StoicLevels
    • every time i told my mom i wanted to be a photographer she would say, "yea but what do you really want to do?" m%$#!sea_sea
    • You grow up because you're told to stop playing. Fuck the school system and greymen!ArchitectofFate
    • I wanted to study fine are but got pushed in to graphics. But I actually really like it.Chimp
    • also DO NOT EVER correct a 30s person on their NEW dreams! Let them experience even more failure doing something elsegrafician
    • I was convinced I wouldn’t be an artist even while getting an art degree on the side and holding the in house design lead position for 2 years at my university.monospaced
    • I decided to drop the law pursuit even after stuffing for and taking the LSAT and doing quite well. Still paying for the design school 16 years later.monospaced
    • wow. that really hits home. Bravo scarabin.randommail
    • Love you, old schoolerBonSeff
    • @mono. I wanted to be a designer too. I repeatedly drew a logo for myself on my hand in 6th grade. I did hand drawn lettering and illuminated manuscripts.CyBrainX
  • Chimp11

    Today one of my team produced a better design than me. She's 12 years younger than me.

    I was actually so happy. It meant that I can finally concentrate on the direction of the company and strategy rather than doing all the hands on work.

    In the past I would have been insecure about this but now I find it a relief.

    • Same here... The only difference is that now I can focus on doing nothing :Dgonzalle
    • You lucky man! Achievement unlocked, lolgrafician
    • Yeah, the young(er) guy who works with me is a waaaaay better 3D artist than I ever will be - just his post work is rusty and he knows this.face_melter
    • I'm glad I'm running my own thing as it would be worrying if this happens in an agency where every f-ing thing is a competitionChimp
    • Doesn't bother me none - I fucking hate 3D now but I have learned a *lot* from him. I'm from a time of just smashing shit together in Ps to make it work.face_melter
    • So I teach him the shortcuts for my post effects and colour balancing.face_melter
    • kill and drink her blood... steal her skills and youth!necromation
    • As the saying goes, only hire people better than you! Looks like you did - congrats.nylon
  • scarabin11

    39 here. I’m moving toward sculpting, prop making, and set design. Also been building stock for a festival shop i’m gonna get serious about after covid. Got tired of being behind a desk all day!

    • Nice! Sound like your having fun with it.

      I still don't know what I want.
      Sellies
    • I'm ready for a new career by 40 too. I just don't know what to do.mapleT
    • do you still look like a final fantasy character?StoicLevels
    • Yesscarabin
    • Mostly because i wear a wizard hat while gardeningscarabin
    • Cool. I dig your hairStoicLevels
  • CrimsonGhost10

    Thank you all for your support and sharing your experiences. It really means a lot to me. (And I thought this place was just for downvoting Gerorges photo choices...I kid)

    @bklyndroobeki I watched the video. I like what Brandon says about duration and weight we give to our negative thoughts. Believe me when I say I don't wish to stay down.

    A little about me: I left home at 16, put myself through university and have lived a life doing what I want despite friends, family and acquaintances telling me I can't. "You can't make it as an artist, that's a stupid profession. Haven't you heard of starving artists?" "You can't get a tattoo," "You can't ride a motorcycle" etc etc etc. What that means is THEY can't or THEY'RE afraid to. People will always try to live their lives and fears out through you and I've always lived my life tuning them all out.

    I live for being hyper creative, 41 and still hungry for new trends, scribbling in my sketchbook or taking photos. Shit, before digital and camera phones I'd blow so much money on getting photos of random crap that inspired me in that moment developed.

    I have defined myself my entire life as an artist. The thought of working at something like stocking shelves is a Hell I'm trying very hard not to sentence myself to. NOT that there's anything wrong with those jobs at all, but I've always wanted to be passionate about what I do. I'm the jerk that goes to the movies and names the fonts while looking at the ads they show before the trailers, or cringes when he looks at a menu that's poorly kerned. Where else but our world would have me?

    Having a job of 15 years fall out from under me was a huge blow. After which came constant and repeated feelings of rejection, irrelevance and being inconsequential that have been chipping away at me. I started freelancing and tried "faking it til I made it" but those core feelings of being a 41 year old out of work art director and web developer are like a cancer that have been eating me alive.

    Depression is an entirely different animal altogether. I thought I could pull out of it on my own, that if I told anyone what I was going through I would be considered weak or broken. My doctor repeatedly tells me its a disease that needs to be treated, like diabetes, that you can't just will away, and I should say "Thank god, there's a pill that's keeping me from jumping out a window." I haven't reached that level of acceptance yet but I'm trying.

    I'm working very hard at getting myself back to a healthy place so I can pull out of this nosedive. So my brain can work again rather than feel like somebody grabbed the emergency brake and is holding it in a vice like grip.

    I apologize if I've made this thread about me. I hope some of my experiences can in some way help. If any of you are dealing with similar dark or negative thoughts, please know you're not alone and there IS help.

    Again, thank you all so much.

    • It takes courage to admit what you're going through and to reach out to others. As you're now seeing, it's in every one of us as well.Gucci
    • Nicely stated.
      I wish you the best moving forward CG
      Ramanisky2
    • You are definitely not alone. I understand completely what you write.SimonFFM
    • ... I almost hate to do this but i hate this new culture of internet pussies. grow some balls, quit being irrationally emo and evaluate your values. ALL yourdeathboy
    • answers you search for exist in your posts if u are a llittle more self awaredeathboy
    • i'll tune you up. i clearly see your problems if u REALLY want to see them. Paragraph 5 first sentence clearly shows your level of disillusionment. hit me updeathboy
    • Certified.set
  • cannonball197810

    ^

    I think I may have landed something starting on Thursday. I’m not dead yet!

  • matski7

    I'm 38 now and currently in the transition from being an agency designer for 12 years (from which I've become burned out, and bored), and the past year freelancing, to doing something I really love – becoming an artist/painter.

    I'm in the process of moving out of London, and recently brought a little house by the sea (moving in next week). Where I will set up an art studio, and spend my days doing what I like best – creating, and being expressive.

    The buzz of London was a massive draw when i was younger, but now I'm older I am more attracted to slowing things down (a little). It wasn't a easy choice (as there's not many career choices or financial rewards being an artist/painter), but I think you come to a time in your life when you need to weigh up what makes you happy. I'm in a position where I don't have kids – if I did than I probably would not be doing this. But I get the same excitement now about to start a new chapter in my life, as I did when I first got into design.

    • inspiring!valentim
    • Thats awesome. Not to get in your bizzz but the fear there is income. Is the painting bringing in income enough to pay for a home and living? If so you win.sofakingback
    • where in london are you and where you going? are you cashing in on london property?dee-dubs
    • Good luck to you. I'm in the same boat.bezoar
    • Good luck! Do you have enough income coming from your art? Fantastic if you do. Or are you going to freelance too? It does sound nice.formed
    • good luck. sounds like a tough transitiondocpoz
    • Best wishes.hosscreative
  • mekk7

    Six years ago I answered this thread with my experiences so far and how frightened I was looking into the future, as well as seeing how inexperienced I was back then.

    Looking at it from today's perspective, I'm not afraid of the future anymore because I've seen that I can always learn new stuff and adapt. Can confirm that the 2010 me was as amateur to the 2015 me as the 2015 me is to the 2021 me. I will probably see myself in five years again and think of myself as a total beginner one more time.

    I trusted myself when I was in doubt and it paid off. To be honest, could have been otherwise so don't take the "always be yourself" advice with a grain of salt. When you are in doubt, there is a reason for it and you have to be brutally honest with yourself.

    A while ago I found new things annoying and shit, mostly without trying them. It was because new things interrupt what other skills we are learning currently and they question our own experience. Nowadays I'm much more open to new trends. New stuff helped me develop massively.

  • Horp4

    I'm 45. I started in graphic design for print at 15, and I gave it up around 2005 with a sideways segue into illustration. I saw the same thing happening to illustration as design so I lost interest and got out (1. It was overpopulated and therefore the value plummeted 2. It started to get invaded by a lot of computer complexity that I didn't wish to learn 3. It became very client driven as opposed to creative-leading).

    I dropped all creative pursuits entirely in 2009 and have never been back. I shifted into an area of consultancy and being seen as an 'expert' in an area that involves cultural insight, strategy, and material culture analysis. It was the best leap sideways I could make with the skills that I could repackage and transfer somewhere new.

    What I know is that I could never go back. I wouldn't earn what I earn from being in any of my previous roles (designer, creative director, art director, illustrator), I am definitely too old to learn the kinds of tricks it requires to survive now, and life is a lot less stressful once you step away from 'creative'.

    However, I couldn't say exactly that I'm happy. There's a whole lot of feel good self-identity stuff in defining yourself as somebody who makes their world work via creativity, and you simply do not get that when you step out of that mind-state and into an office/corporate environment where you are not judged, evaluated or appreciated for your creative production. In many ways I feel like Ray Liotta at the end of Goodfells.. a shclub, standing on his doorstep in his slippers, missing the energy and excitement of the old life... but I'm secure, I have a good income, my employers really value me, and life is generally a lot more stable and less fraught.

    I would never go back... I wouldn't want to even if I could, but I will always look back fondly on those times, which have now largely gone... or at least evolved into something radically different.

    • Spelling error: I meant Schlub, not S-Club7Horp
    • Interesting. Are you in a large city? Who are your clients?formed
    • I've often wondered about a similar transition.formed
    • S-Club7 probably have the same feelings.Fax_Benson
    • I'm in London. I work for a consultancy so we have a very broad range of clients. Some are very interesting and exciting, some are terrible.Horp
    • Interested in how you went about making the move sideways?dee-dubs
    • I've always believed that if you identify with your core skills rather than your vocation, you can go almost anywhere, even if it takes a couple of leaps.Horp
    • So you have a full time gig at a consulting company? I like your thinkingformed
    • I always thought you were THE horp lolfadein11
    • oops sorry my mistake - had a moment there.fadein11
    • Sounds like you're a little happier than before, at least Horp old fruit. You seemed to be carrying an ever present feeling of inadequacy and...set
    • ... the impending doom of being fired at any minute. Are you feeling like they value your shizzle?set
    • Also I really wanted to lay down an S club 7 joke but I have nothing.set
    • I think I'm a little more settled into this reality, and I've been doing it long enough that the private feeling of being an imposter has faded...Horp
    • ... I don't know for sure that I'm happier, but I'm less unsure now. As designers we combine personal passions with business. Divorce that, and you get two...Horp
    • distinct entities. I work, and it pays well, and it isn't awful, but I don't LOVE it. It doesn't define me or make me happy. So I now pursue other things that..Horp
    • bring happiness. I have an old racing car I work on and drive. It's what I love. As a designer, we tend to love 'designy stuff'.Horp
  • slappy6

    I wrote a bit of history on my journey but it was too long and who cares, so I'm starting again. I have been a digital designer for just on 20 years and instead of chasing money, I have chased working with good people (clients and colleagues).

    I don't fear the younger/cheaper/better designers as design is only one of the things I do. How I stay relevant is I leverage this experience to plan successful digital projects. I get to know everything about the businesses I work for, what their challenges are, who their competitors are, where their business model isn't working and I create a strategy for them to work towards their goals, using research.

    I then create a roadmap and assemble a team to roll out the plan, starting with fixing their brand (a different side of our studio). Typically we will hire a copywriter (comes from brand work), photographer, sometimes film /production, 3D vis, development / coding, SEO & Marketing and sometimes PR.

    If I'm doing a site or app and they don't want to resolve any brand issues, pay for high level copywriting or create their own imagery, chances are they don't have any money and are never going to achieve want they are looking for, so better letting those jobs through to the keeper.

    I think age comes with the experience required to be in more of a producer role, if you are tired of keeping up with trends then hire a young designer. Working with cool people who are experts in their field inspires you and shares the load.

    • Sorry still too long, skip to the last paragraph.slappy
    • This is where Im finding myself too. Its almost a suit/production but coming in from a creative/problem solving angle.thumb_screws
  • IRNlun66

    Sounds like many agencies are not only undervaluing their employees but shorting their clients with mediocre work. Seems like it will be an advantage to be a smaller shop who values the work that goes into providing great design, building a great team, and growing a creative environment.

    So many of you are uniquely qualified to understand most aspects of what it takes to produce and market a product. Most of you probably have more knowledge and experience than those that manage or hire you. We're our own worse critics. You're at a huge advantage and need to accept that you've outgrown your position and need to become business owners, leaders, or entrepreneurs.

  • mantrakid3

    Very cool thread. These thoughts are exactly what was scaring me a year and a bit ago (Im 34) when I was focused almost 100% on doing client service -based web development. Wordpress setups, theme customizations, troubleshooting, then the relationship would degenerate into getting their email going on their iphone and helping them figure out malware bullshit. I hated the progression that almost every client seemed to end up at. I was their IT department, by way of being friendly and good with computers, and the money was decent enough and paying my bills, etc. It was hard to say no and I lacked courage for many years to even consider it. I laid awake at night wondering how i can possibly still be doing that same bullshit every day for the next... 10... 20... 30.... 40 years..!?

    Then I panicked, i said fuck it & i screwed it all up by blowing through savings and making a dumb little video game & shit got real for me for the first time in my professional life. Now ive essentially entered an industry where age can be respected if it comes with mad experience, and theres sooo much shit to learn that i am genuinely interested in and i dont even give a fuck how old i get anymore because every day i feel like a fresh, optimistic kid at the best school in the world. As long as I have that enthusiasm, I have no worries about the quality of work i do or my perceived value... I know i got this from here on out. :D

    until i get tired and jaded and switch careers to porn.

    • great post can totally relate_niko
    • So you're in the video game industry now?Ben99
    • is it your game that's on steam right now?Gnash
    • What are you doing now?bort
    • sorry i missed the comments on this. Yeah Im doing game design for a new company now. Great job, flexible and creative, uses all my skills.mantrakid
  • Ben991


    i would like to buy a micro house somewhere close to nature and live a simple life with low expenses. I just need an internet connection, a good computer and some money to go on a trip once a year or every 2 years. I would totally grow my own food too.

    Dream dream.

    • Also my dreamjonnypompita
    • tesla powerwall duuudeArchitectofFate
    • georges has a plot of land...Gnash
    • off grid dream (but with internet lol).fadein11
    • I'll just build my own on my playstation10 in 10-15years and hang out in virtual space.uan
    • @fadein11 i've never talked about living off the gridBen99
    • This would get so boring after 2 days. Literally nothing to do.iCanHazQBN
    • plenty to do.and i dont talk about living in a mountain. I would live in a small or medium village close to civilisation. we have plenty of that here.Ben99
  • scarabin3

    35 here and burned right the fuck out of advertising. i don't care about hollywood or movies anymore. got laid off and can't really be arsed to get back into it so have been trying out a lot of other things hoping something will stick.

    it makes me happy to see others older than me starting a new path as sometimes i think it's too late for me to switch things up or whatever.

    • +1phatwrx
    • This guys used to do advertising in LA, got sick of it, opened a farm->table restaurant, and it's amazing: http://www.bellstree…Knuckleberry
    • sorry, "guys" should be
      "guy"
      Knuckleberry
    • that's greatscarabin
    • It's never too late to start a new project or learn new skills!zarkonite
    • fuk man. good luck. shit like this has forced me learn other complimentary/supple... skills, aka, photography. again good luk man.jaylarson
  • Ben995

    +1 for this thread by the way.

    Good to see we're not alone asking ourselves lots of questions.

  • pr20

    Joined this board many years ago when i was still in college studying painting and graphic design.
    I slowly drifted away from painting and the past 12 years worked as Director of Photography on music videos, commercials and feature films. Good pay, but there is no job security as i never know what' i'll be doing 2 months from now. In the process i've made a number of award winning shorts and music videos and in the past year finished a feature-length doc that tries to push the boundaries. It was an artistic bet that we've won and financial bet that we didn't. The film's artistry brought in a very rich benefactor that wants to finance personal projects - so technically i'm employed for next year or so on the next film. This taught me that on big and complex projects the rewards are not often immediate or apparent. Sometimes the reward comes from an unlikely place. I always had this uneasy feeling that film is the medium of the "masses" but thanks to digital revolution the film transformed into much more intimate medium and this is revitalizing. At 35, I know i'll never be doing blockbusters (unless paid to film it) as i have no interest with pop culture, i know i'll be making small intimate films that get experience as if reading a poem. This is not only fine with me but actually very desirable: i don't want to affect mindless mass of people but rather a few select people who have desire to dig deeper. I played with going back to painting but i simply have no patience. Moreover, as i'm an intellectual procrastinator trying to dig at an issue to such depths that with time it stops being exciting i would never paint but rather think about it. This you can't do with film, there is a specific date when you start shooting and that day you HAVE to start making decisions (and learn to live with those decisions).

    • Have you considered going back to college to study paragraphs?fadein11
    • ^
      LOL. fuckin dick. Im dying over here.
      sofakingback
    • Hah, fadeinPeter
    • i still don't forgive you for forgetting to turn on your camera during the obama girl pillow fight scene...robotron3k
    • paragraphs = communication; here you have stream of thoughtspr2
    • lol fadeinPonyBoy
    • Lol fadeinHayoth
  • ghandolf4

    "Never tie your self-worth, to your net worth". ~ Erik Wahl

    So far, reading your ages, I've got you all beat. Although I'm not a designer, or 'web-ist', I am a freelancer. I've done alright for myself over the years, but recently as others have remarked, things are suddenly not the same, and my work, (at least for me) has begun to seriously dry up. It's really difficult to chart a new path when you're older. I've had ups and downs, good years and bad ones in my line of work, but this is different now.

    Losing my job years ago, was actually the best thing that ever happened to me. It set a new template for me to grow and become someone and something I never thought possible.

    I've had a bought in the past with depression as well. That was a very dark and difficult time for me. I got past it, with help, just as you are doing. (Take care of yourself!) After all, this is just work. In the larger scheme of things, ...life, children, experiences, etc., this is manageable. These are bumps in the road, meant to define you, to bring out your best, to bubble up what's deep inside of who you are, and who you can be.

    Hang in there kids. I wish I could tell you it will get better, but in reality it only becomes different...and sometimes that can be better. I wish you only the best of luck in whatever it is that you do from here going forward.

    Also, this is the best thread I've ever seen here on QBN/Newstoday.

    Have a great day, Mates!

    • ("bought" = bout)ghandolf
    • thanks for sharing ghandolf!Ben99
    • I'm always looking for help from freelancers, let's connect so I can see your work and what you do.breadlegz
  • Chimp4

    40, running my own small agency. I could never go back to working for someone else's agency. The whole team is remote.

    We do a mix of corporate stuff and some "cool shit" for small local companies.

    I glad I've got some young guns on to help out.

    • Sound like a dream. Was it hard to start? How did you get clients?Longcopylover
    • I was actually pretty easy. I had been working for 14 years so I had quite a few industry contacts.Chimp
  • Geith4

    I'm 51 and wait, let me check my pulse – yep, I'm dead.