I just finished writing this month's Welcome column for Boxes and Arrows. I tried to kill two birds with one stone—give some thoughts to the recent DUX conference as well as impart some deep thoughts about the profession. I think I succeeded a little bit on both parts. Call me sappy and overly optimistic, but I came away from DUX feeling good about things, about the state of the industry. The biggest takeaway for me, was a feeling a subtle shift in the attitudes of the attendees. Several other conferences in the past—the AIGA Advance comes to mind as does past years IA summits—were rippling with the whining and depressive undercurrents of folks out of work or if working feelings of being extremely marginalized. I didn't get that sense here. While there were one or two outbursts of whining from a panelist or two—most notable was an audience that wasn't about to tolerate it. We came to share knowledge and to learn new things to take back to our respective organizations and not to hear folks whine about the same old thing. And we did. We conversed and shared and laughed and I for one felt optimistic again.

I have been feeling rather blase about the state of things lately, my job, the organizations I belong to, my commitments to AIFIA and Boxes and Arrows, and I know others have been feeling equally burnt by the overload. I have even unsubscribed from some of the lists because they were just too overwhelming to deal with.

The couple of days being inspired at DUX, which shortly followed a brief vacation, has done wonders for my outlook on things and I feel energized again to take on the hard problems.

Comments

Please have some sympathy and patience for the unemployed, it is hard to live without money.

Also don't get into burnout/stress/overload. Like me try taking 'Think Week' vacations for a month or to each year.Retreats and silent solitude can be the spur for new creative directions in your life.

Best Wishes,

Yours,

Bill

huh?

I think people are going to continue to whine because many stumbled into the field at the height of the dotcom craze and they whine because they don't know what to do next since they didn't really have the grand credentials...I'm pretty over whining now...just did something outrageous bought tickets yesterday for a trip to Italy that leaves on Saturday...I've pretty much unsubscribed to most of the community...I'm slowly finding new things that have captured my interests...how are the lessons going? :)