So I just got back from my trip to LA. And let me tell you, this was by far the most amazing experience of my life for so many reasons. I went into this trip with the mid set of only meeting people and not really looking to do any hands-on activities. But when I arrived and saw the amount of talent in the room, I knew that I had not choice but to get my hands dirty if I wanted to make any kind of impact.
I only went to two out of the three days the conference was being held. The both days were SUPER overwhelming. Just imagine 14,000 people in one space. It was pretty intimidating because I was thinking to myself, “what do I do? how do I begin to talk to people or how do I even get noticed for me not to look like a deer in headlights?”. All these thoughts were racing through my head. But during breakfast I sat at a table with complete strangers, and they were super welcoming and friendly. They talked me through what I should expect and how their experiences were at previous conferences. Little did I know that these people would actually remember me and say hi and check on me throughout the conference.
After breakfast, there was the keynote speakers for the day. LISTEN TO ME when I tell you my mind exploded. During the keynote speaker, they introduced lots new products that we could expect and gave some updates/upgrades on some already existing products. I am a drawer. I love to sketch and design things. So it was expected that I was grinning from ear to ear when they showed new apps for Adobe that was dedicated to drawing. They have some already out, but the new apps they showed us were something I could only dream about. I don’t know if I can say names, which is why everything is just mind-blowing. ( Not trying get into trouble with Adobe. Haha)
But after the keynote was overs, it was time to roam, and roam is what I did. The conference had this room called the Community Pavilion. In this room was all the sponsors, vendors, Adobe people and more. I looked like a kid in a candy store. I am the type of learner where I need to physically do the motions once and I got you the rest of the way. So, I took it upon myself to go to all the booths that interested me first and hit everything else later. I went to all the design booths first. I designed a business card holder, and a notebook. I discovered an app call Illustrator Draw. It’s not a new app, but I had never used it. I typically just use pen/pencil and paper and sketch that way. With this app, I can actually do all my sketched from beginning to end in one place. This was super dope to me.
I eventually made it to my session after missing the first one because I was in the pavilion losing my mind. This session was hosted by Ken Lashley. If you don’t know him, like me, he is the guy who drew BLACK PANTHER and works for MARVEL and DC COMICS. So pretty important guy in the creative world. But what I found the most interesting about his session was how relatable and friendly he was. He was very focused on his goals. He kept saying that the idea of him being from Canada and wanting to work for Marvel was his only dream so he did everything possible to make that happen. That was really inspiring for me because as someone still trying to figure out what I want to do, I knew that when the day comes and I have a 100% plan that, that plan is the only thing I need to be focused on.
Later on in the day, I made my way back to the pavilion where I did any and everything. I participated in a design contest (got killed), but I tried. I was going up against professionals and I have only been doing this for a month, so pats on the back to me. I made a social media post to enter two contest. I learned about countless apps within Adobe. I found out which ones are free so I can get them and work on them later. I found out what kinds of equipment I need to be taken seriously in this industry. I met some people as I was trying to give my feet a break from walking all day. I met a lady who mentors people like myself. This is what I really want. I want a mentor to show me the ropes of the industry. I’m a baby in this field and it is brutal.
This was like a 100mph crash course into the creative world and it definitely hit me like a truck. I think this is what I needed in order to see the full picture. I can only get so far by reading on the internet. I needed to see what all the hype about. And boy was the hype real.
This conference was definitely the beginning of a never ending journey for me.
HAPPINESS IS TO SELF-AWARENESS AS SELF-AWARENESS IS TO HAPPINESS
Tales of My Life 