Ep 135 Career: The Hidden Problem of ‘Experience-ism’ in Creative Careers

Show notes

What’s going on, everybody?

Welcome to the 135th episode of The Crazy One podcast.

As always, I’m your host, Stephen Gates, and this is the show where we talk about creativity, leadership, design, and a whole bunch of other stuff that matters to creative people.

Before we get into today’s topic—do me a favor:

Leave a review, tell a friend, put it on a billboard, a sticker, a bathroom stall—whatever works.

These little things help me know that people are actually listening and getting something out of this.

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The Question Nobody’s Asking

So here’s something that’s been on my mind for a while—a few years, actually—but I haven’t really talked about it until now.

It comes from weekly conversations I’ve had with people at every level of seniority, and it always comes back to some version of this question:

“What the hell is going on with the market right now?”

We’ve talked before about how things are shifting away from design. Salaries are down across the board—20–30% lowerin many places. But I’ve especially noticed a pattern for more senior creatives and leaders.

And the questions I keep hearing go like this:

• “Am I too old?”

• “Is this ageism?”

• “Am I too expensive?”

• “Do I even understand what my value is anymore?”

 

I went through these exact questions during my own job search—one that ultimately led to starting my own studio. And after dozens of interviews and months of reflection, I finally think I understand what’s really happening.

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It’s Not Ageism. It’s “Experience-ism.”

We talk a lot about ageism, but I don’t think that’s the heart of the issue.

What I’m seeing—and what I’ve personally felt—is something I’d call experience-ism.

Yeah, I’m still figuring out how to spell that. But here’s what I mean:

Many companies today are actively avoiding hiring people with too much experience.

Or maybe it’s not just experience. Maybe it’s opinion-ism or personality-ism.

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Why Experience Feels Like a Threat

A few stats to give you some context:

• Over 70% of people don’t like their jobs.

• More than 20% are so frustrated, they’re actively sabotaging their companies.

 

Let that sink in.

Most people are just showing up to:

• Hit their KPIs

• Check the boxes

• Get their bonus

• And move on

 

Even creatives—especially creatives—aren’t looking for fulfillment anymore.

They’ve given up on that idea.

The priority isn’t impact or creativity. It’s survival.

So when someone comes in with real experience, strong opinions, and the courage to challenge the status quo?

They become a threat.

Some people see them as a savior. Others? As a complete disruption.

And let’s be honest—many companies today don’t want friction.

They want someone to ship, hit deadlines, make it pretty, and shut up.

They’re not looking for inspiration. They’re looking for compliance.

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When Vision Becomes a Liability

If you walk into an interview and say:

“I believe design can do more. I believe creativity can impact the business. I want to help you build something better.”

Chances are, you’ll lose them right there.

That’s exactly what happened to me. The moment I said I wanted to lead differently, to build real culture, or to raise the bar—you could see people’s eyes glaze over.

I wasn’t saying I wanted to reinvent the company overnight. I just wanted to enjoy the work, to do something meaningful.

But even that felt like too much.

This isn’t just my experience. I’ve heard the same thing from dozens of others.

So what gives?

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A Hangover from the Design Thinking Era

I think part of the blame falls on the design thinking gold rush.

A few years ago, every company jumped on the bandwagon.

They hired big-name design leaders. Built shiny design orgs.

But they never made the structural changes needed for those efforts to succeed.

So now they look back and say:

“Well, that didn’t work.”

And the pendulum has swung the other way—toward commoditized creativity.

Design as a service. Not design as strategy.

And yet, the companies we all admire—the ones building great brands and products—they’re the ones still investing in real creative leadership.

So the disconnect is clear.

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The Irony: Experience Should Be the Asset

When I was going through interviews, I realized something I never expected:

My experience had become a liability.

I’d worked at big companies. I’d worked with small teams. I’d seen what worked and what didn’t.

But instead of seeing that as an asset, hiring managers saw it as a threat.

“He’s going to want to change things.”

“He might not fall in line.”

“He’s going to have an opinion.”

And that’s the problem.

Because isn’t experience supposed to matter?

Isn’t that the thing you want on your team?

Apparently not right now.

We’re in a weird phase where the status quo is safer than potential.

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How to Navigate “Experience-ism”

So what do you do?

You have to decide:

• Are you okay with a job that’s just a job?

• Can you live with keeping your head down, taking the paycheck, and going home?

• Or do you want more?

 

And if you want more—that’s okay. But just know:

You’ll need to work harder to find the right environment.

This moment in the industry won’t last forever.

I’ve been around long enough to know the cycle:

1. Economy tanks

2. They cut design, marketing, and innovation

3. Products suffer

4. Market share slips

5. Then they hire all the creatives back—for more money

 

We’ve seen this before.

But this moment still feels different.

Because now we’re also grappling with:

• Office vs. remote

• Cost vs. creativity

• Experience vs. obedience

 

It’s murky out there.

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You’re Not Alone

If you’re going through this, I just want you to know:

• You’re not crazy

• You’re not alone

• You’re not obsolete

 

You still have value.

Your experience still matters.

But you may have to work harder to find the places that recognize it.

So keep going. Stay confident in what you bring. And don’t lower your standards just to get hired.

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Final Thoughts

This was a quick episode. Just something I’ve been thinking about a lot—and something that’s come up in too many conversations lately not to say out loud.

So if this resonates, let me know.

Leave a comment, send a DM—I’d love to hear your perspective.

And most importantly:

Don’t ever apologize for being experienced.

Don’t ever apologize for having an opinion.

That’s what makes you great. That’s what creates great work.

Thanks for listening.

As always, stay crazy.

Tagged as:
creative industry creative leadership creative professionals creativity in bu design careers design thinking experience liability experience-ism hiring trends job market job search leadership in design portfolio tips senior designer struggles