I don’t think you’re “harping,” actually I think when we have the means of communicating about whatever we can use to gain perspective, it can help counteract any sense of isolation or the “what’s wrong with my own scene” mental state that can take hold. Of course there are general news sources with sobering information, but they focus more on trendy or less design centered issues.
I had a purely accidental and unscientific insight recently. I admit I would have to know how this looked in prior times to attach more than a speculative interpretation to it…but I was researching various state reciprocation requirements (decided against pursuing due to costs). Anyway on one state board’s website you could query the current out of state LA license holders and it even showed their status. So there were people under review, denied, current etc. What struck me is how the greatest number had simply let the license lapse, as non-renewals. One name I recognized as deceased but that wouldn’t be most of them (I hope!) While there could be a proportion who just had reciprocation for a single big project with no need to continue, it made me wonder if it wasn’t a sign of the times. There is just less spending on such licenses due to reduced incomes and lower prospects of getting work beyond one’s own area.
It would be interesting to go back and see if that changes in a recovery.
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