My lead designer is very jaded , unsatisfied with his pay but doesn’t feel motivated to look for other jobs due to various reasons.
working with him is not exactly a smooth experience. His negativity is ok to observe from far away but draining when I had to work closely with him.
However, the design director really wants us to work closely.
what should I do to remain my sanity?
Give him tactful feedback. I had a similar issue. I had to request mass data from mine quite a bit. I asked my manager for read access so I could pull the data on my own to relieve stress from my designer.
I would suggest bringing up his behaviors with the design director. Especially if his behaviors are impacting your personal performance.