It’s been a few years since my rather long-winded article on Design Inspiration was published, and Jeff’s asked me for an update, a “where are they now?” kinda deal. Rather than blather on for thousands of words again, I’ll try and keep it short and to the point. The last couple of years have been a little uneven, to put it mildly - some personal stuff that rocked my world to the core, a seemingly endless struggle with depression (quite common with designers I’ve come to find out) and a resultant creative block that I wrestled with for way too long. There was a nasty bit of employee fraud that saw my studio get hit for the better part of 90k - a four-year death by a thousand paper cuts that almost sunk The Logo Factory entirely. Truth to tell, I was ready to chuck it all in more times than I care to remember, and it was only the unquestioning support of people around me that helped me stick it out.
Good job too. My dark dog of depression has slowly relinquished its grasp, and while not having dissipated entirely, that shaggy beast is no longer as crippling as it once was. Things are gradually getting better professionally as well - my creative block has steadily faded and I’d like to think I’m pretty-much back in my old saddle. I’ve been able to work on a few projects recently that I’m genuinely proud of (rather than just “getting it done” to keep the lights on,) rekindling my old passion for art and design in the process - I can even art direct gigs again, rather than letting them art direct me. As TLF enters its 19th year, we once again have some new plans and dreams, rather than the holding pattern we’ve been in for a few years. Sure, we’re still struggling a little, but thanks to the faith of the great creative people that work with me, we’re on the upswing and the future looks a lot brighter than it did, even as recently as a year ago. Life’s a mess sometimes, but with some perseverance, the love and support of our inner circles, we can usually pull through its darker chapters.
It actually does get better.
Steve Douglas
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