4 creative gurus share their inspirations, from Baz Luhrmann to Humans of New York

4 creative gurus share their inspirations, from Baz Luhrmann to Humans of New York

Los Angeles Photos ©10-06-2015 by Elizabeth Lippman for Adobe Adobe MAX, The Creativity Conference.

The first day of the Adobe MAX conference was all about creativity tools but, on day two, the spotlight was on creativity itself. Four creativity gurus, from the man behind the social media phenomenon Humans of New York, to Australian film director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge, The Great Gatsby) shared their advice for staying creative with over 7,000 attendees.

Maira Kalman — writer, illustrator, artist and designer

“I spend the beginning of each day drinking a coffee and reading obituaries. It reminds me time is fleeting.”

“Every brief that you get, every job that you get, are we asking the right questions? How can it be informed with something that comes from your own instinct and your own sense of humour?”

Brandon Stanton — photographer and blogger behind Humans of New York

Adobe MAX, The Creativity Conference.

“Humans became famous as a storytelling blog, but the idea I gave my life to looked nothing like that. You can’t wait for perfect. All I knew is I loved photography and wanted to take 10,000 photos of people, and that’s what got me to New York City.”

“I interviewed President Obama, and it’s all because I was able to get over that fear of doing something new. Trusting that I would figure it out, and that I have something to offer ths world.”

Elle Luna — author and artist

Adobe MAX, The Creativity Conference.

“Our should is our prison; our must can set us free.”

“I believe there is dignity in all work, and just because it’s for pay doesn’t make it dirty.”

“Ideas and storytelling are the only currency I know. The only thing I can escape into is still ideas and stories.”

Baz Luhrmann — director and producer

Adobe MAX, The Creativity Conference.

“I’ve come to believe creativity is some kind of medication we’re all taking to treat some sort of medical condition.”

“The need to create is just the need to get something out, the need to express.”

“Listen to yourself. The couple of times I went off track I began to believe there was a right way, but there isn’t.”

 


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Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

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Jeff Jedras
Jeff Jedras
Jeff Jedras is a technology journalist with IT World Canada and a member of the IT Business team. He began his career in technology journalism in the late 1990s, covering the Ottawa technology sector for Silicon Valley North and the Ottawa Business Journal. He later covered the technology scene in Vancouver before joining IT World Canada in Toronto in 2005, covering enterprise IT for ComputerWorld Canada and the channel for Computer Dealer News. His writing has also appeared in the Vancouver Sun & the Ottawa Citizen.

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