It is admittedly weird to start an article, a product of prose, with the realization that I don’t have the right word.

The word, and world, I am seeking is what Adobe MAX speaker Spencer Nugent called the activity “between thought to thing;” the space in which we harness our “raw creativity” to produce meaningful work. And because I don’t have the word for this, at least not one that I feel truly encompasses the beauty, illumination, and miracles that make up this space, I do what any 21st century creator does in 2023 when they are looking for help: I turn to AI. 

In this case, I approach Adobe’s Firefly, updated at Adobe MAX, to generate the image for a word I do not know but I can certainly prompt for: manifesting an idea into reality. I select paper art as it only seems fitting; there still seems to be, for more artists, even digital ones, to draw or use sensory development of their art work at some point.

Adobe works in this sphere, the space from “thought to thing.” Their products are attempting to decrease that distance and time between the idea you have and the project you create. Updates are meant not so much to accelerate your software, but to accelerate you. For me, MAX stands for maximizing your speed: how quickly can you get the idea that you have, the project you’ve shot, the scene in your head or the product that might change the industry out into the world? And, when all the technology and software works right, how can Adobe’s suite of products, including Firefly, maximize the speed at which you do that? How can we decrease the distance between Point A and Point B? 

“Technology is here to supercharge what we do as creative people,” Nugent shared in his session. And what technology do we now have at our disposal to help speed things up for our creative process? That’s what MAX is here to share. 

It is fitting that MAX, Adobe’s creative conference (not to be confused with Max, HBO’s streaming service) welcomed visitors to its first keynote session blasting a live version of “Los Angeles” by The Midnight over the loudspeakers; one needs to find their place in this giant room, giant world, the giant expanse of possibility. The lights. The stars. The hundreds of creators. 

And speaking of stars, MAX also compresses the distance between you and your creative idols: Selfies with Dacia Saenz. An in-person thank you to Karen x Cheng. A hello and a photo with Aaron James Draplin. A collective whisper of “Senseiiiiii” with Jason Levine (ok, that one I cannot 100% confirm, but it’s what I would have done if I ran into them).

Adobe MAX isn’t a conference. It’s a rock show. And the headliner is AI.

By now, the sneaks and the updates are old news. 2024 Premiere has already been taken for a spin. Project Fast Fill, presented in the first five minutes of sneaks, is already paired with the word “game changing.” An AI-powered Roto Brush was quietly released in After Effects (Actually, After Effects didn’t even hit the main stage announcements). 

But what you don’t feel on the online version of MAX is the collective emotional response of a crowd of creative humans. The movement of air in the room. The ebbs and flows of an ocean not just of Adobe news but of shifting feelings and responses that come and go in waves. The surprisingly loud audience reaction to Adobe Express, a product that seems to grow its base every day, and will continue to do so: “Adobe Express [will be] installed on all new Chromebooks going forward,” shared David Wadhwani, President of Digital Media at Adobe, during the Opening Keynote. 

Graphic designers held their collective breaths during the Text to Vector announcement in Illustrator, while every creator who ever needed a logo realized they might be able to do it themselves with the help of Firefly. The nerves were palpable while Kelly Hurlburt, Sr. Staff Designer at Adobe, showcased the ability to upload your own artwork to Firefly Image Model 2 as a reference image through Generative Match (Beta), shortening that aforementioned distance from Point A to Point B while simultaneously feeding the AI beast. Adobe does seem semi-aware of the nerves surrounding AI, as evidenced by the fact that they always incorporate cute things to soften the potential blow: Want an adorable Kawaii Tiger? How about a cute frog in his little mushroom house? Adobecadabra! 

The Peacock Theater (formerly Microsoft) is a symphony of errant “whaaaats” and “no ways” and “that’s cool” and “yeses” to Generative Fill, Text-Based editing, and future AI treats. That symphony also included a chorus of tears thanks to Oak Felder’s keynote and his definition of a song: a conduit of emotion from one person to another. 

The applause and support, described as a “Scooby snack for presenters,” was most uproarious during the sneak peek of Project Primrose, a customizable wearable digital dress that is the first step towards “dynamic and interactive fashion.” It is interesting, then, at a conference centered on software and digital tools that the biggest response is to a physical element. It was not the only moment that celebrated tactile-based activities and devices: friendship bracelet making was a big hit on the event floor. As were the puppies. Even in the age of AI and computers-in-our-pocket, perhaps especially so, tactile still wins. Posters. Sweatshirts. Swag. Ear piercing aka permanent swag. Even the iPads loaded with Fresco. All seemed to be embraced as part of MAX, and, part of your creative process, that elusive point A to point B that Adobe tries to expedite. 

It is interesting, then, that Express, arguably the product mentioned most often during the keynote (“You all have this” Scott Belsky, Chief Strategy Officer and EVP, Design & Emerging Products at Adobe, reminded everyone) does not actually seem to stand for speed. Nor does it stand for Premiere Light. Adobe hopes that Express will help everyone express yourself (get it)? and in doing so, develop a “21st century skill “(David Wadhwani President, Digital Media, Adobe).

And in that room in the Peacock Theater, amongst the laughter and tears, and the lights you could see from your hotel in L.A., twinkling of possibility for you and your work, it felt like millions of moments of possibility compressing with everything everywhere all at once; creating diamonds out of our work with the ability to do so much more, and possibly, faster than before. “We all have the ability to change a person’s life with some of the things that we create,” Inspiration keynote speaker Oak Felder reminded us.

For some, Adobe Max boiled down to Walker Noble’s question from his inspirational keynote: Why not you?

For me, I would clarify that Adobe MAX really asks: why not you, but faster?