Adobe MAX 2023 Recap: Photoshop Creativity & Magic for Beginners ✨

Shout out to my friend Laura Coyle for snapping and sending this pic of my banner in the revolving speaker gallery! I never was able to see it in person… 😂

At last year’s MAX, I had to run (RUN!) directly from my session to catch my flight home. This year I cut myself some slack and flew out the day after which gave me the chance to mill around outside the LACC and soak up every last drop of inspiration and joy.

I taught three hands-on sessions in a fabulous lab with 75 workstations where we explored Photoshop Creativity and Magic for Beginners. We created a composite, dabbled in some AI features, then brought the whole thing to life as an animated GIF—all with a seasonally appropriate spooky theme. Good times! 👻

The feedback on the various session evaluations made my heart soar. 💖 The hours (and hours!) that go into crafting the session and workbook were rewarded with cheers, laughter, and a genuinely great time for all.

It was amazing to be supported by a fantastic team of Adobe managers, engineers, and product developers. Getting the inside scoop/backstory on the peculiarities of how certain features came to be the way they are is endlessly fascinating. Eye opening and mind-blowing at the same time!

Recently, I joined the Adobe Community of Experts and have been blown away by the passion, creativity, and team spirit of everyone involved, especially Sil Cleary whose enthusiasm and community-building prowess inspires me to new heights.

I’ve been at this for over two decades and every single day I pinch myself in disbelief (and with tremendous gratitude) that I have the privilege of being part of this industry and getting to play in the sandbox with so many inspiring humans. My cup is full and I’m ready to brew up more goodness to share!