Top Lessons Learned from Adobe MAX 2015
In 2013, I went to AdobeMAX for the first time. I was just getting into video production (shooting, editing, color, etc.). In my mind, I was going to go get my learning on and come back and be ready to crank out a lot of work from all the stuff I learned. It was my first conference, so I forgive myself for not understanding the greatest value they have to offer.
Inspiration and connection.
You can learn any program you want on lynda.com or Adobe Products on Train Simple.
Where creative conferences really bring the heat is in the talks that give you a fresh perspective and conversations between sessions that lead to new friendships and collaborations.
That being said, I approached AdobeMAX 2015 differently.
Meeting Wonderful People Is… Well… Wonderful
In my hand lettering pre-conference session, I sat next to a couple of fun folks, Travis and Bethany. We had a blast flailing about, attempting hand lettering with some brush pens. Each of us was new to hand lettering. But we really gave it the old college try.
Josh and Giuliana came all the way from Sydney! I met them at lunch the first day and ended up seeing them several times through the conference, usually in story/video sessions. It was fun hearing about the events their company puts on and how they get their work done.
I met Jose, the film maker, after one of the sessions on story telling. We talked a lot about film, motion design, and creative work in general.
I even accidentally ran into my “fake internet friend” Ryan. We know each other from the seanwes Community and the Wistia Community. It was great to meet him in person and hang out with him for a while.
I got to hang with some old friends as well, David and Hope, Junsuke, and Derek. It was so good to see all of you!
I met a ton of fabulous people and had some great conversations. Some others I want to say hey to: Dylan, Doug, Mo, Samantha, and Caron 👋 Thanks to all of you for making this trip amazing!!!
Besides meeting all of these friends, my favorite session was on story telling.
Story Telling
Christine Steele put story into a new perspective for me.
Hinge Your Story Around a Universal Truth
What is a universal truth? Something that any person of any age, culture, religion, sex, language, etc. can understand. She gave a great example with two kids.
Great themes consist of the unfolding advancement of an idea that explores universal truths.
Chose a theme for your story that exemplifies a universal truth and hinge your decisions around that truth. What colors, characters, mood, cuts, transistors, etc. will support your theme? Do this, and you are well on your way to making an engaging story.
When she said every story should explore a universal theme that anyone in the world can understand, I had a negative gut reaction. I believe that if your audience is everyone, you’ll reach no one. So it took me a while to warm up to this concept. What I like about it so much, now that I understand better, is that it forces you to dig deeper into your story. What is at the core of it?
There are the “big ones”, like love, pain, fear, etc. But there are some more nuanced truths that capture attention even better.
Example of a Universal Truth: Two Kids
If you put one kid from Uganda and one kid from England into a room and give one kid a cookie and the other kid five cookies, what universal truths are felt in this scene?
- Jealousy
- Fairness
- Anger
What if we had a parent give one child a cookie and their other child five cookies. This adds a new dimension to the universal truths.
- Desire for parental approval
- Parental favoritism
Christine talked about lots of other story related things like Opening BIG, story beats, secondary truths, rhythm, and devices. I just felt like the most powerful idea she brought up was the universal truth.
I’m Glad I Went to Adobe Max
I had a blast at Adobe MAX. I came home feeling inspired and equipped to create more engaging and effective work. The connections I made with new and old friends was refreshing.
I’m Glad I Went to Adobe Max
I had a blast at Adobe MAX. I came home feeling inspired and equipped to create more engaging and effective work. The connections I made with new and old friends was refreshing.
A 24 second photo slide show:
