Unlearning to Create Anew: A Creative’s Journey from the ’90s to the AI Era

How AI is changing the face of creativity

I began my advertising career in the vibrant 1990s—when creativity was more than just a job. It was identity. We lived it, breathed it, and wore it like an invisible currency.

Our offices were alive with colour, energy, and caffeine. Mood boards covered every wall, and our desks carried coffee mugs permanently waiting for refills. Deadlines weren’t burdens; they were shared rituals. We stayed late, sketched storyboards, and wrote taglines that we believed could change the world. Brainstorming wasn’t just a meeting; it was a spiritual exercise that filled our souls and sharpened our minds.

It truly was the golden age of creativity.

Back then, the creative industries already accounted for around 4% of global economic output. In the U.S., advertising was a cultural and economic force—so powerful that by the end of the decade, consumer spending on videocassettes even outpaced spending on television programming. The appetite for storytelling was insatiable, and advertising sat proudly at the centre of it all.

Fast forward to today, and the landscape looks radically different. I am still a marketer, still an advocate for creativity at heart—but the rooms aren’t the same anymore. They are mostly virtual. The walls aren’t covered in boards; they’re screens filled with dashboards. The brainstorm sessions don’t carry the same charge. Instead of face-to-face debates with teams and agencies, many of us now resort to what I call “prompting parties.”

The tools and the rules have changed. AI is here.

And with it, a very real sense of unease. Forecasts suggest that by 2030, advertising agencies could lose over 30,000 jobs to automation—about 7.5% of the industry. In the broader economy, as many as 30% of roles could be automated, with nearly 60% seeing fundamental changes in how work gets done. Some developers even argue that AI could eventually replace entire marketing departments.

This reality saddens me. Not because I fear technology, but because I fear the erosion of something irreplaceable—the messy, thrilling, human act of creative exchange.

But is creativity really on life support? Not even close.

If anything, this is a time to unlearn and learn harder. Because the skills that made the golden age golden cannot be fully automated. The ability to run teams with empathy. To generate ideas that strike at the heart. To mentor others, pass on wisdom, and build cultures of creativity. To use emotional intelligence, not just data, to shape narratives that resonate.

These skills—our true currency—are not going anywhere.

The rooms have changed, yes. The tools are smarter and faster. But the essence of storytelling, the drive to create ideas that matter, remains alive.

So perhaps the question isn’t, “Where does this take me next?” Perhaps it’s, “How do I adapt while holding on to what makes me human?”

As for me, I choose to adapt. To embrace the tools while never abandoning the spark. To use AI as a lever, not a replacement. To keep pushing my own creativity while championing the next generation of storytellers.

Because at the end of the day, the stories worth telling are still waiting to be told.

And so I leave you with this: Where do you see your creative journey going in this new AI era?