We get it. You’re tired. Tired of the ghosting. Tired of the unpaid pitches. Tired of the constant requests for free work. And tired of wondering whether AI will take your job—or worse, already has. We’re exhausted—and the economic outlook isn’t offering much hope, either.
I was sitting in Chania airport last week, waiting for our flight back to Manchester, when I decided to check my email and all my social platforms. The usual: a busy inbox, unread messages. But what stood out were the dozens of pleas for help.
One woman I hugely admire on LinkedIn sent me 25 mini voice messages. Twenty-five! I plugged in my headphones and listened. She was telling me how bad it was getting out there—and asking if we could do anything about it.
I sat back with a heavy sigh. How many times have we been here before?
The economic crisis of 2008. The global pandemic. A government seemingly doing everything in its power to destroy business confidence and growth—albeit with no clue that they’re doing it. And now, the looming shadow of AI—enticing business owners who want to cut costs and delay hiring.
The result? Illustrators, photographers, retouchers, copywriters, designers, developers… all waiting. Work is paused. Projects frozen. Belts tightened. Everyone is holding their breath for the inevitable tax hikes this autumn.
But here’s the thing—we’ve been through it all. And we’ve always come back fighting.
This time, though? Yes, budgets seem tighter. Opportunities feel scarcer. Algorithms have swallowed our reach. And we’re all working harder than ever just to stay visible, relevant, and afloat.
We’re knackered.
For those of us running independent businesses, many of us are burnt out. We kept going in 2020 when Boris told everyone to stay at home. There were no bailouts or handouts for us. We had no choice.
But before this becomes ever more depressing, here’s the truth: The creative industry isn’t dead; it’s changing. Messily. Rapidly. And yes, sometimes painfully. But there are still good things happening—if you know where to look.
The shake-up was always coming
In some ways, we needed this big, fat reset. The past decade’s gold rush of content creation, hyper-growth startups, and influencer-driven everything wasn’t sustainable. Attention spans got shorter. Workloads got bigger. Fees got smaller. I guess it couldn’t last.
Now we’re in the messy middle. Things are shifting—not ending. The even better news is that change often brings opportunity. Yes, that means rolling up our sleeves again, but this is how we keep going.
Rethink how you market yourself
Businesses might sit on budgets for a while until they remember that marketing during a downturn can be hugely beneficial—especially when competitors have gone quiet.
And while AI might be changing how some work is done, it can’t replicate you—your taste, your judgment, and your ability to create with empathy,