August paralysis, AI, and why autumn can't come soon enough

Motion North 2026. Photography by Natalie Argent.

We’re in the middle of a fifth heatwave here in England. I wish I could be grateful. But I’ve never been one for warm weather. Don’t get me wrong. It’s lovely on holiday. When the small range of summer clothing I have in my wardrobe does me proud. And there’s a refreshing pool to dive into when it gets too much. Back in Blighty, though? Give me an overcast day at 18 °C any day of the week, and I’m happier.

It’s because I want to work. And I want everyone else to work, too. I can’t stand the quieter months from June onwards. And August always feels like a weird paralysis. It’s probably why autumn has always been my favourite season. Not just because of the cooler temperatures, but because everything fires up again. It feels like a moment of renewal.

It’s when everyone returns to their desks, rested and ready for another bout of hard work. It means clients work those budgets again. And everyone is in the mood to make some hard cash.

Gosh, do I love to make money. It’s the joy of diversifying one’s income. Or finding new ways to monetise my platform, Creative Boom. Which is hard, by the way. Publishing is quite possibly one of the toughest industries to get right. Particularly when it’s focused on the creative industries. And we all know how that’s going.

Forgive me if I sound crass. But ever since I went freelance in 2007, I’ve been determined never to be employed again. Having a boss wasn’t for me. I wanted pure freedom to build whatever I liked. Not an easy route, granted. But a thoroughly enjoyable one.

I’d be lying if I said this year had been as fruitful as the last five. Like a lot of companies out there, it’s been quieter than usual. Low business confidence, higher costs, more red tape and risks – it doesn’t take a genius to understand why. The private sector has been putting things on hold. That impacts creative studios and freelancers along the chain. Even media platforms like mine.

The worrying thing is that all this is happening as AI does its thing. Why hire more help when you can use new technology instead? More importantly, why pay more or wait longer when you’re now empowered to quickly do it yourself without losing budget to anyone else?

One example of this is with web developers. It used to be that they’d work with a designer to create a website, and any subsequent pages or elements would go back to the same designer. That would mean budgets, proposals… perhaps waiting a few weeks before anything got done. Not any more. Once a developer has a design framework in place, they can work with AI to instantly generate whatever they need. They don’t need to go back and forth. Believe me when I say the work is increasing and speeding up. But it's also shrinking for some along the way.

I speak to a lot of designers and studio owners. They tell me it's the worst it's ever been. One joked, you know it's bad out there when some of the leading agencies refresh their websites. She's not wrong. And one put it blankly: "I'm thinking of leaving the industry altogether." Eek. Of course, no one wants to admit it out loud. Brave face and all that. One has a reputation to uphold.

And yet, things are picking up again. I'm seeing whispers of it. "January to June was awful," said one studio owner. "2025 was the quietest, actually," said another. "This year has been much better."

I’ve always thought these ebbs and flows are inevitable. We just have to be prepared for them. This time, though, it feels different for some. For instance, if you’re a designer and you’re relying on other freelancers to feed the work, you’ve got to reassess everything. Like, are you the kind of person who doesn’t ask enough questions during the initial research phase? Are you just hoping someone else will figure it out? Are you avoiding meetings with said clients, hoping someone else will take the lead? I’m sorry to be the millionth person to say it, but you’ve got to become the kind of designer who can comfortably sit in the boardroom and suggest smart ideas.

I’ve been saying this for years, though. Probably ever since the 2008 crash. I told my creative friends to become consultants. How, they’d ask. “Buy business books,” I’d reply. “Watch YouTube tutorials. Read The Economist. Subscribe to The Financial Times. Buy the trade magazines your clients read. Be curious. Know the problems your target sectors face even before they’ve realised the problem.” There are always opportunities to guide and make yourself irreplaceable.

And guess what… There is no better time to start than now. The out-of-office is about to switch off. The budgets are coming back. And everyone’s heading back to their desks with a fresh bout of energy and urgency to do some good work. Autumn is coming, my friends. And thank god for that.