I feel a shift...

I've been doing this for over a decade and it feels different.

I started designing in 2011/12 and have had the highs and lows of owning a business. In the last 5 years, however, it’s been a ride (as we know).

Considering we were all locked into our houses forever in 2020, we saw a huge surge of graphic designers and solopreneurs.

I had a couple of my best income years. I hosted Live Trainings, had various email funnels, created freebies, pushed new digital products, etc.

Online courses {and digital products} seemed to skyrocket.

Email became a bigger thing.

Social media became a place for all of us to connect when we couldn’t in real life.

Video and ‘viral trends’ were all the rage.

And in between it all, we just hoped we wouldn’t get the C.

But now, I can’t help but feel like a big shift happening

Instagram seems to have become the home to some questionable sales tactics and a lot of mini-tips or faceless MRR. And don’t get me started on those ‘how to get $10k months’ or ‘how to quickly grow your following’.

And I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of the ManyChat thing going on. As great as it is for some businesses, it’s not my thing.

Remember the days when you would land on a good post and read people’s actual comments? You were able to relate to them, engage with them, get opinions from them (or roll your eyes at them ;)

Instead, it feels littered with a bunch of single words… womp womp

Pinterest was my happy place, but lately, it’s full of ads and products. So, even if I search ‘grasscloth bedroom inspiration’, it’s not even inspiration, it’s all products.

Threads was a great respite, however, the negativity seems to be brewing. A small opinion seems to send people over the edge lately. No joke, I posted a custom-lettered signature option and was basically told I’m not a real designer if I use lettering in a brand. mmm k.

Are we more disconnected than ever?

It kind of feels like digital products are fading, courses are running their course, and people are simply losing trust. Even with AI, as much as I love new tech and finding ways to use it in my business, it’s hard to know what’s real or fake. Thus, again, losing trust.

Not only that but the economy and cost of living are brutal right now. We are becoming more intentional with how we spend our money and time.

Fewer people are going for the ‘freebies’ and with the surge of them in the last 5-10 years it’s hard to trust which are good and are worth giving out your email for.

But, what’s next?

Is it this? Is it blogging again? Is it YouTube? Is it a small community group? I have no clue.

However, I can’t help but feel that now, more than ever, we need to explore new things, be vulnerable, and be human.

I’m not sure if people want what everyone has anymore. I think they want something that feels exclusive and personal to them.

As you can tell, I’m still figuring it out, however, I knew I had to share my thoughts ;)

I would love to get your opinion too, I can’t be the only one feeling this, right!?