The 12th Annual
Adobe 99U Conference / The Creative Self
Welcome to the Adobe 99U Conference, an event about creative careers. Watch the replay of the conference livestream or explore talks, workshops, and more on-demand.
Keynotes
From battling the burnout trend to practicing extreme gratitude, hear new perspectives on nurturing your creative self.
"Let's witness this together, this thing that we have to maneuver around together, and don't have the answers for."
"As we operate, every single interaction we have with clients, with our surroundings, with our work, with culture: we are in a political or power structure."
"If you feel less productive, it's because you are. The hard thing for us, as workers, as creatives, as managers, to understand then, is that there is nothing wrong with that."
"As our self interest grows, so do our responsibilities. It goes from me to us."
"We feel our self-worth when we are seen from all sides, when our contradictions are embraced as a whole being."
"Gratitude is a mindset, and it's about refusing to take things for granted."
Master Classes
Dive deep into big ideas from a rebellious creative leader, a designer-founder tackling industry inequities, a prolific creative director, and a brutally honest consultant.
"We have to hold ourselves accountable to the impact that we're having in our lives and other lives in our communities."
"My argument is that for creative innovation, the ability to function better at work, you need time on your own.”
"We have this responsibility, to shape these algorithms that shape us."
"Too many people are trying to put on a veneer of professionalism or a veneer of somebody that they aren't, and that can be clearly detected."
Workshops
Our workshop hosts explore mental health, empathy, and life itself through interactive workshops you can do from anywhere.
"It's important for me to have prompts when I have creative blocks, because it can be easier than just starting with a blank piece of paper."
"We can start to become aware of our unconscious biases. We can start to become aware of the things that have held us back in the past, our fears, our anxieties, and by working through those, we're able to help others."
"In my experience, it's actually the work I've created with no application in mind that have gone on to do the best."
"We are straddling this time period where we're one foot into the analog world, one foot into the digital world. Can we have fun with that?"
Explorations
When was the last time you felt connected to your creative self? This workbook is an invitation for you to engage with your creative self as a practice, over five days of exploratory exercises designed by creative coach Tina Essmaker.
99U Articles
Develop a toolbox of skills to access in times of stress or uncertainty. Much like your creative practice, your response is a work in progress.
Five tips to prevent injury and strain while creating work from cartoonist Kriota Willberg’s book, Draw Stronger.
“Fake it until you make it” may be the worst advice. Here’s how to regain clarity in your career instead.
We are living code with the agency to reprogram our brains. Follow these simple steps to get out of your own way and back to creating.
Clarifying why you do what you do can be the bedrock that gives your work direction and meaning.
Bookstore
Titles from our speakers and contributors, available through their preferred booksellers.
Meet the Creative Specimens
Our biologists have spent the past 12 years researching creative specimens in their native environments. The findings teach us that while specimens may share characteristics, each one is unique, bringing irreplaceable value to our creative ecosystem. Get to know the specimens below.
Limited-edition prints of the Creative Specimens are available from our partners at Paper Chase Press. All profits will be donated to Feeding America and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Illustrations by Mark Brooks and alademosca
Purchase Prints →
The Sensitivo Empathis is a highly empathetic member of the creative kingdom, with a canny ability to hear the needs and desires of other creatures.
The rare Multis Taskum is known for its ability to gracefully and simultaneously handle a wide range of tasks, but risks burnout early in its career span.
With its talent for collaboration and communication with other creatures, the Communicatorum Claritus has no known enemies in the creative kingdom.
The Effectivae Managerum leads its loyal creative flock with empathy and a strategic mindset, evolved over years of experience.
Easily identified by its colorful bloom, the Maximus Designex brings beauty and theatricality to all creative environments.
Few specimens have contributed to innovation in the creative kingdom more than the Innovato Ideatis, known for swimming (and flying) well outside of most creatures’ comfort zones.
Often found perching at great heights, the Vox Potentus is able to influence nearby creatures with its powerful voice and bold style.
Not easily distracted from its path, the Purposo Careerus’s productive career span is driven by a primal inner purpose.
With a long career span and incredible adaptability, the Versatilum Adaptae has evolved to thrive in any creative environment.
Thank you for joining us.
Visit the complete 99U Talks archive for more creative career insights and inspirationWill Allen
VP Community Products, Adobe
Scott Belsky
Founder, 99U & Chief Product Officer, Adobe
Mark Brooks
Creative Director, 99U
Head of Brand, Behance
Sean Dunn
Software Development Manager, Behance
Jeannie Huang
Product Designer, Behance
Eunsan Huh
Social Media Strategist, Behance & 99U
Eleanor Lewis
Software Engineer, Behance
Pollyanna Macchiano
Program Manager, Adobe Design
Gus Martin
Content & Community Manager, Adobe Live
Zach McCullough
Principal Designer, Behance
Yuriy Nemstov
Software Development Manager, Behance
Mia Pinjuh
Contributing Editor, 99U
Andrea Rosen
Head of 99U
Samantha Shoushtari Dohrmann
Content Operations Manager, Adobe Live
Francisco Siller
Studio Manager, Adobe Live
Chrysanthe Tenentes
Head of Editorial Content, 99U
Victor Varaschin
Software Engineer, Behance
Jorge Artola & Peter Cobo
Motion Graphics, HIDE Studios
Sam Brodsky
Audio Engineer, Brodsky Audio
Tina Essmaker
Nickey Frankel
Founder & Executive Producer, Preview Events
Brock Labrenz
Director & Founder, An Films
Joanmiquel Bennasar Mas
Illustrator, alademosca
Andy McMillan
Principal, Regular Events
Andy Mellon
Technical Director, Founders Studio
Robert Morris
Production Designer, Sunbunker
Josh Tag
Project Coordinator, Preview Events