The other day, I was chatting with an engineer friend about career paths and personal growth over the past decade. General career chat, people’s journey, how they got there, how things shifted. Somewhere in that conversation, I realised something we don’t really say out loud:Are we just pretending COVID never happened?Because when people reflect on their trajectory, especially in creative industries, it’s like those two years are either conveniently left out, or just glazed over like a weird little selective memory blip.But we didn’t just hit pause. We restructured. Some people upskilled. Some pivoted. Some left the industry entirely. For many of us, life didn’t just stop. It shifted in ways we’re still processing.For me, COVID landed at a deeply personal moment. I had just become a new dad. That period gave me the unexpected gift of being home with my daughter during those critical one to two-year moments, something I’ll never take for granted. However, at the same time, I also took on a new role in addition to my existing one. (CEO of Abbey Road Institute) Like many others, I was navigating burnout, blurred lines between home and work, and an industry trying to find its feet again.I’ve heard some wild stories. People who moved into streaming and started earning six-figure brand deals just from playing video games. Others who walked away from the creative industry completely and never looked back. And I’d be lying if I said I never thought about it.Should I have done that too? Even though at the time, I felt like I had a bigger purpose and a responsibility to a whole community, not just me.What’s wild is that when you look back on it on paper, COVID often gets written out of the story entirely.For me, retrospectively, KPIs, performance reviews, and business metrics didn’t come with footnotes that said, “Oh, by the way, the world shut down.” It was just: Why didn’t this happen? Why didn’t you hit that target?There’s a kind of gaslighting in the way we’ve moved on.And I’m not sure we’ve unpacked how that period shaped an entire wave of creatives, especially those in education.Think about it. Students who should’ve been gaining hands-on experience, collaborating in person, gigging, and assisting in studios... were stuck on Zoom. That window, those two years, mattered.I remember that first year post-lockdown. Nobody wanted to commit. Not to study, not to stay in one place, not even to make long-term plans. Everyone was craving movement, freedom, flexibility and honestly, that hasn’t fully gone away.It makes me wonder how many of us are still low-key operating from a post-COVID mindset. Hyper-adaptable. Slightly detached. Scared to commit. Optimistic, but guarded. So I guess my question is:Did we actually heal from COVID, or did we just move on because we had to?Did it transform you? Push you out, or pull you in?And do you ever talk about it? Or have we all just trauma-bonded over something we now treat like Voldemort, he who shall not be named?I’m curious. Positive or negative. How did it shape you?Let’s start that convo.A Footnote: Some Harsh Truths and Some Interesting InsightsAfter writing this article, I asked the internet: What are some actual stats that sit behind some of the things I’ve mentioned but maybe never fully unpacked? Here’s some to consider.<ul><li>The Australian creative sector lost an estimated 470,000 jobs in 2020.</li><li>Live music revenue dropped by 90% across the country that same year.</li><li>Twitch viewership doubled, and TikTok usage surged over 200% in Australia.</li><li>One in three creatives reported ongoing anxiety and burnout post-lockdown.</li><li>Over 60% of artists and creators reconsidered their career direction altogether.</li><li>83% of creative arts students lost access to hands-on learning and in-person collaboration.</li><li>School attendance dropped, with only 59.8% of students attending 90% or more of classes in 2024, down from 74.9% in 2019.</li><li>Year 12 dropout rates hit a 13-year high in 2023, with 1 in 4 students not completing school — the same cohort now entering creative industries, often without the structure, mentorship or experience they would’ve had otherwise.</li><li>During the pandemic, 78% of artists explored new creative outlets, often shifting from performance to content, design, or digital storytelling.</li><li>COVID accelerated digital transformation by nearly 7 years, forcing creators to quickly adapt to livestreams, Zoom writing sessions, digital collaboration tools and platforms like TikTok and Twitch.</li></ul>Sources: Australia Institute, Live Performance Australia, Statista, ACARA, Support Act, McKinsey &amp; Company, Creative Industries Policy &amp; Evidence Centre, UNESCO

General career chaton journeys, how people got there, how things shifted. I realised something we don’t really say out loud:

Are we just pretending COVID never happened?

The Thing No One Talks About Anymore (But I Think We Should)

Across multiple different short form content streams, our Founders and Industry Leaders explore their key takeaways from industry events, challenges that creatives face, and everything in-between.

The Thing No One Talks About Anymore (But I Think We Should)

The Thing No One Talks About Anymore (But I Think We Should)

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