About aging in the industry

Insights from slack:

• I was more stressed about aging in mograph at 31 then I am at 41
• The biggest thing for me and it's not for everyone was just having the control over my own trajectory
• Maybe it's self selecting but almost every senior I know my age is freelance and largely so that they can control their schedule not so they can make more money as the primary motivation
• seeing how messed up a lot of people's incomes were by the pandemic who aren't in mograph and me just being able to very smoothly keep plugging away like I have been for the past few years made me more zen about it. You never know what twists and turns the future will hold just gotta roll with the punches
• Do I worry about the young'uns being so technically proficient these days and prepared to work for rates that I cant accept with a family to support? sometimes. but I'm have a pretty consistent workload and good relationships.
• The main thing is to keep raising your rates and finding clients who will pay them, and developing skills that will justify those higher rates. If staff is impossible to increase rates then you go freelance.
• I think you have to not be too psyched out about the skills arms race though.Meaning that playing Rugby I see people who are better players at 35 than 25. they are slower but they knbow where the ball is going to be
• knowing the tools don't make the difference, you still need to be a good artist and a better person.
• As I age and look at the generation coming up I start to ask is my work part of the solution or part of the problem...as far as consumerism and the environment go and overall bettering society
• I'm 40 and motion design used to be communication design before it was just "graphics" for me. I personally don't really know of any motion designer retiring just yet. I'm sure it's happened, but this industry keeps growing and changing. There are more and more screens in peoples' hands and faces day after day. I think as long as you plan for the future and invest/save money, you should be fine. More and more opportunities keep popping up (AR, VR, NFT, games, emerging interactive spaces, etc) too. It's a very low impact job (physically) and I think there will always be age-ism, but just keep being the best artist you can be and I think there are good odds that there will be work well into your retirement if you so choose.
• I would drop any preconceived notions you have about what 'level' of designer you are - and just be a designer or w/e you want to do. Not saying you should think you're the best, but you should for sure keep your favorite parental figure in mind while you work and remember that no matter how old you are, what you're doing is very cool, and someone will love it.
• I fell into motion, I'll probably fall into something else, the worlds always changing and so are we