Creative: Adobe Max Day One

Austin, what happened? Deplaning in this once strange and undone town I noticed there had been a change in the wind. Gone was the Austin of my youth and in was the Tech Bro, Finance Bro and LA-type. And the mood hung heavy like the air after a mortar round in the jungle. (I’m only assuming what this might feel like, thankfully.) This is a story for another day but there is no doubt this once anomaly of the Texas veneer has been consumed by an outside element contrary to the roots that made this place such a find. (The food scene at the airport certainly has legs.)

Miami madness. All Spanish.

As I wait for the Uber, every single person around me converses in Español, and this is one of the many reasons I love this city. Spanish is the future in America, regardless of what the fearful will tell you, and this is a very good thing. I for one am a huge fan of our sisters and brothers from down south. Not a day goes by that I don’t dream of living “down there.” I don’t want a wall to keep us from them or them from us. I want an invite to the party. I want an invite to the history and landscape and culture and collective mind.

“The worst thing ever just happened,” the hotel clerk said. “A woman came down and yelled at me for twenty minutes.” Young, proud of his position, he was hurt more than anything else. A personal affront. “Well,” I said. “I will never yell at you no matter what happens.” “What’s your name?” I asked. Ten minutes later I’m in a suite on the 21st floor overlooking what makes Miami Beach Miami Beach. “That’s the benefit of being the first person I help right after being yelled at,” he says. I sleep for four hours and forty minutes. The Garmin buzzes on my wrist.

There is a feeling of slight nervousness at an event like this. There is too much to consume, no matter the attack plan, so the idea of FOMO could overwhelm if one isn’t careful. Thankfully, I never got that memo, so FOMO plays no part for me. I see it as everything upside. I will know more by tonight than I do right now. Twelve or fourteen or sixteen hours from now I will be making notes and attempting to connect future dots that seem far apart. I will be reminded of how little I know. I will understand what I need to learn to get where I see one version of my/our future. (Retirement in Boca is the prize. Baked to a crisp.)

Okay, day one. What did I learn. I learned I have a lot to learn. The opening keynote was what you would expect, but then the plot took a twist as three Adobe trainers gave demos on new features in Premiere, Illustrator and some 3D thing that is way above my pay grade. And yes, there was a new features in Lightroom demo as well, but I have to say, photography seems to have taken a step back at this event, and you snappers out there should be asking yourself why. (And it’s not because of AI. Too easy. Try again.)

I also thought Adobe Express proved itself, especially in the Age of Canva. But let’s address the elephant in the room. Generative AI. It’s everywhere. Need to mask out a couple dancing in a motion piece? A few short months ago, hellish. Now, boom, done. The Generative AI tools are incredible. They are, regardless of whether or not you fear them or hate them or feel nothing toward them. Someone had to build them. Probably that kid in class everyone made fun of who now chokes Panama banks with his/her/they’s bonus checks. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

I suck at Adobe. I really do. Even though I use Adobe programs every single day I’m in front of my computer, I’m not great at any of them. I have no love for it. I respect the tools and use them to get where I need to go, but I’ve never sat with Lightroom and played with images. Never. Not once. I’d rather eat a lightbulb. I see photographers working on images with gradients, and vignettes and filters and sliders and all I can think is “I would rather volunteer for jury duty.” When people ask about my workflow I say it’s the Bruce Lee method. The art of fighting without fighting.

This event, and it’s 10,000 attendees, does make me want to learn. Could I be far better at Premiere? Lightroom Mobile? Illustrator? After Effects? Yep. Way, way, way better. But here is my final takeaway. All the tools in the world can’t help you if you don’t have something to say, and people, I’ve always got something to say. This ability comes from reading, from taking my time, from study, practice, experience and abject failure. When I see these new tools I think “Maybe,” but the tools also make me appreciate my pen and paper even more. They make me appreciate how difficult it is to make unique work with a camera. The tools remind me that story is king. I did get a free water bottle, Adobe Max sweatshirt, and a few other odds and ends. The sweatshirt and water bottle will go to the young man behind the desk at the hotel. He deserves it. I’ll drink from the canal out back.