As with many people in the UK this week I have been sick. One of the symptoms has been an overwhelming feeling of depression and hopelessness. My mind needed to be distracted from the physical cause. So I began to obsess about my age, which will be 55 in April. I also wondered why I wasn’t more successful career-wise.
You’ve likely experienced this if you are of any age.
You probably imagined that your professional life would be like the Lifetime movies, where you’d reach the heights of success, fame and riches by the age of 30. It didn’t work out that way. In the current environment, you may feel like you are going backwards, as employers and clients become more demanding. AI is decimating jobs and opportunities and young, fresh faces can make you look old.
There are many positive ways to deal with these feelings. We started a conversation on Creative Boom’s new social media platform The Studio to get advice from other creatives. Below, we have shared the most useful tips.
1. Enjoy your experience and age
You feel down? “getting old”? The first step is to reframe your problem. The fact is that advancing by years in not a bad thing: It’s actually an advantage!
What is the real deal? You can learn more about it here. When you are young, you have no idea what you are doing. This can lead to years of frustration. “faking it till you make it”. We should continue to celebrate our experience and age.
What we have learned, after all, isn’t simply facts and numbers; it’s an in-depth and powerful understanding about what we do and what to do.
Take Nvard Yerkanian. He is an Armenian illustrator and graphic designer based in Venice. “Over the past decade, I’ve come to understand how my creativity works,” She explains. “It’s no longer a fleeting muse that appears and disappears at will; it’s something I nurture, structure and trust. I’ve learned that inspiration isn’t just about waiting for the right moment; it’s about building an environment that allows creativity to flourish.”
The ability to select is another liberating aspect of reaching this level in your career. “One of the biggest shifts has been how I manage my time and my relationships with clients,” Nvard. “I’ve learned to be more conscious of how I spend my time and energy. I now know when I should say no. “This lesson has given me both professional and creative fulfillment.”
While younger professionals may still be trying to find their own rhythms of working, creatives in midlife often have a better understanding of what makes them flourish. This is flipping amazing, right?
2. More risks
Midlife is making you feel stuck and slowing down? This is not a fact that you can’t escape. It’s your choice. You can. Choose your own To go in an entirely different direction.
Daniel Chimal is a German illustrator who inspires you. “I turned 40 last year, and something happened that I didn’t expect,” He explains. “I suddenly began to feel the urgency of creative achievement. It’s like a deadline came out of nowhere, and now the pressure is stronger than ever. I’m now trying to use this feeling as motivation to take more risks and rethink the way I’ve been doing things.”
You may feel overwhelmed by the speed of change in technology. You can also choose the other direction. Denise Strohsahl has over 24 years experience in copywriting and marketing, 15 of which she spent running her own business.
“For me, it’s actually all the changes, new tools and challenges that keep it interesting,” She stresses. “You can get complacent quite easily, and nothing stifles creative work more than repetition and same-ness. I learned early on to specifically set aside time for new ideas and research, to try out new things and to explore new tools and platforms. It’s part of the fun!”
3. Consider a pivot
Do you feel stuck in the same routine that you have been following for years? Why not reverse the script? Midlife is a great time for many of us to change our career focus.
Nathan Ryder is one of them. He has worked in the design industry since 1994, when he graduated from university at age 21. “Around the mid-2010s, traditional graphic design jobs were starting to slow down for the company I was creative director for,” He recalls. “So, in 2017, I chose to go freelance. “I decided to specialize in book design. “I decided to specialize in one area: book design.”
Rob Cursons is the head of marketing for n-fuze. “My main survival tactic in the creative world is adaptability,” He says. He says: “I’m not just talking about learning some new tools for creativity, but changing my career completely from graphic design into marketing.
“I’ve read a few times that many people make huge career changes around the age of 44,” He continues. “and it’s a good idea to make these by this age. The best way to keep going and enjoying yourself is to do things that genuinely interest and challenge you.”
4. Prioritise your wellbeing
Being young has its benefits, including the capacity to work hard and sleep well. In midlife, you may find that it’s not necessary to worry about getting enough sleep.
Matthew Gallagher, a 37-year creative professional has learned one important lesson. “Grinding is a myth that kills your creativity,” He stresses. “Instead, get eight hours of sleep and eat a balanced diet. You can never replace your health, and a clouded mind will not be effective. Exercise as much as your body will allow.”
Ben Mottershead founder of Never Dull Studio couldn’t be more in agreement: “From experience, I found that you can’t force inspiration,” He says. I’ve learned to take it easy and not work at all hours. In my 30s I find that trying new activities like going for a walk, pot-throwing, or going to the bar gives me more inspiration than hammering on the computer at all hours.
“I’m also expecting my first child in June, which is another scary aspect to tackle,” He adds. “But we’re already in the process of setting up a little art studio in the house, so we can continue to play and be creative after we’ve made it through the sleeplessness and nappies.”
Denise puts it succinctly. “I used to think I had to work a lot to rest,” She says “Now I make sure I rest enough to do my best work.”
5. Fresh connections
Midlife may bring many benefits, including a better balance between work, life and parties, but it can also lead to a sense of loneliness, particularly if you are able-bodied. Leanne Mallinshaw is a graphic and branding designer who has recently moved from England to Northern Ireland. She stresses the importance of finding a new balance and creating new relationships.
“If you work on your own, like I do, there’s so much value in building a network of other creatives,” She stresses. “Whether on or offline, having people to collaborate with, be inspired by, share war stories with, and just become friends with makes all the difference. So don’t be afraid to slide into people’s DMs and ask to meet for a chat!”
W.S. Cranmore is a painter and contemporary artist who agrees. “I’ve found that engagement is key. Building a community, supporting each other, and having conversations,” He says. “There are always scarce times, but engagement helps more than making posts and reels.”
6. Experience is the best guide.
You can’t keep pace with the latest trends? Reuben Turner, creative director at Reuben Turner Creative suggests that you focus on longer-lasting currents instead of fleeting fashion trends. “A few years ago, I was introduced to the concept of ‘pace layers’; the idea that some aspects of culture move faster than others,” He notes. “At 54, I like to think I’ve learned what to focus on, not necessarily those fast-moving, lower-impact aspects of creativity like social media trends. But the slower, more significant elements like human insights, proposition and longer, more macro cultural shifts.”
You will have acquired finely tuned instincts that are priceless after years of experience. It can be a little disconcerting to feel out-of-touch when someone half your own age shows you how you can use a smartphone. Just think about it: That app or phone will be outdated before the end of this year. The fundamental practices, principles and knowledge of human nature and social interaction that you have internalised are pretty timeless.
Liam Jackson is a 41-year-old graphic designer. “On the creative side, years of experience help give a sharper eye, instincts and the ability to execute ideas with more clarity and confidence. I trust my gut more now than when I started, and my approach to design has evolved beyond just making things look good; it’s more strategic, conceptual and intentional.”
What would you do with that superpower? Wouldn’t it be better to learn how to use TikTok or add effects on the app instead? Also, remember that younger people are generally more knowledgeable. Absolutely fuck it all. This doesn’t mean just academic knowledge or history. If you ask the typical twenty-something whether they have ever seen Pulp Fiction, Trainspotting or Gone with the Wind, they will stare blankly at you. Do you really want to live in that mindspace?
7. Perspective
Get a perspective if you feel down because of your age. You might think that your life has ended when you turn 40. To me as a 55 year old, I find you impossibly youthful; I would love to be forty again! This dynamic is true no matter what age you are. How many people in their 90s remember fondly the time when they were 80 and young?
It’s helpful to see midlife as a new chapter on a creative journey. Liam Jackson says: “For me, at 41, I’ve been doing this design thing for years, and it still feels like I’m only just getting started. It’s that feeling that despite all the experience you’ve built up, there’s still so much more to explore, refine and achieve.”
Paul Leon, a creative director and consultant with a unique perspective on the subject. “People talk about how they remember how everything was new, being wide-eyed, curious, questioning, playful, willing to change, read more, drew more, wrote more, took risks, explored, had side quests and were more rebellious and authentic… when they were younger,” He says. “But I don’t feel like I’ve ever lost that.”
Where does this perspective originate? “Even when I was younger, I realised that life is actually finite,” Paul clarifies. This gives context. Every project, each day is an unexplored box with unopened opportunities.
“Check your ego,” He adds “you are always learning. Be decent but don’t take crap because no one should have to: be punk rock about it. Choose to work with good people, whatever that means to you if you can. Don’t forget what you’ve learned, but always try as much as you can to look forward to things.”
Tony Clarkson, a graphic designer who says the same thing: “I’m certainly in the beyond sector, but what keeps me going is the ever-present need to produce good work to be proud of. It still doesn’t happen as often as I’d like or as often as I thought it would by now. But it’s still exciting when it does. If it weren’t, it would be time to think of a change, but even then, I don’t think I’d be able to.”
Isn’t it, in the end, what we choose creative careers for?
