Beware of ageism from within.

Ageism isn’t just a societal problem. And a form of discrimination. It’s also something a person can develop, like botulism or hirsutism. The problem is, one of the worst side effects of this unique disease is denialism.

I know a lot of creatives. And as a Creative Director for many years, I've hired a lot of Creatives. Because of this, I’ve seen many grow from intern to mid-level creative to Creative Directors and beyond. Some got better over the years and kept on getting better. But I’ve also seen a few get better, but then at a certain point in their careers, they decide grow content with their talent.?

This can happen when you find success; you feel as though you’ve cracked “the formula;” you’ve done some notable work which won you awards and lots of money, and you think “If I just do more of it, I’ll win another Lion or another Shirley” or whatever.

Trouble is, when you think this way, all that happens is you start to age from within. You get stale. You stop growing creatively. You stop taking chances. And you stop learning from others. As a person with experience, you get to the point where you think you know it all, until finally, you start beginning sentences with phrases like, “In my day…” and “you damn kids today….” You might even use the phrase “whippersnappers.” But that last one is rare. Mostly because no one knows what the hell a whippersnapper is.

All of this is another way of saying a Creative can find him or herself put out to pasture because their work or thinking isn’t, or doesn’t feel, contemporary anymore.??

The problem is, as Creatives, we are incapable of admitting this.?

Yes, great thinking is timeless. But how you execute that great thinking, either verbally or visually, isn’t. Language changes, humor changes, typefaces go in and out of fashion. Look at ads from decades past and you’ll see living proof of this.?

This isn’t to say ageism is only self-inflicted. Not remotely. Ageism as a discrimination practice is all too real. If you’re over 50,* you’ve likely experienced it. I know many over-50 Creatives who are crazy talented and can’t find a job. Whereas, over-50 CEO’s seem to be commonplace. Funny how that works.

Now, I’m not going to get into the obvious, benefits that older experienced creatives bring to the table. That’s been written about ad nauseum.?

The point is, you can find yourself over the age of 50 and not just be the victim of ageism, you, yourself, might have developed ageism.?

But even if you are lucky to be immune to both, you might still find you’ve come down with a fatal case of financialism – this happens when an agency wants to trim payroll and the business people making the decisions think a junior who makes a zero or two less than a Sr-level creative is just as good.?

Basically, it’s a minefield. So don’t give the “enemy” any extra ammunition, if you can avoid it. That’s my advice, daddy-o.

*This age I'm picking is arbitrary, so don't write and tell me it should be 45 or 40 or 110, etc. The exact age isn't the point and you know that.