#AdobeLife at Home: Draw Along with Kyle T. Webster
How are people spreading joy at home? Our #AdobeLife at Home series is all about highlighting how our community of passionate employees are doing just that. Through this series, we’ll be featuring Adobe employees who want to teach our readers new skills—from emotional wellbeing tips to creative online classes. Here’s how they’re spreading joy.
Check out Kyle’s Draw Along series, where he shares drawing and inspiration for kids of all ages! Watch as Kyle incorporates real time chat feedback into his illustration process and creates along with you.
In early 2019, when Kyle Webster, Senior Design Evangelist, was preparing for his Adobe MAX presentation, he and Senior Director of Design, Eric Snowdown, hatched a plan envisioning Adobe offering the community more art and design education content. “We want Adobe to be a resource for kids in K-12, who are in need of time-tested approaches and methods for creating great visual art,” said Kyle.
The two of them pitched the idea to Scott Belsky, Chief Product Officer and EVP, Creative Cloud, and when suddenly the announcement was made that schools would be closed and students would be at home for the duration of this crisis, Scott was the one who kicked things into high gear. The team coordinated with the Adobe Live team to make these ‘Draw Along’ classes happen at the drop of a hat. “It was a scramble, and I was impressed with how everybody came together to get the shows on air in just a matter of three days from conception to first live episode!” Kyle said. We caught up with Kyle to hear more of his thoughts on the importance of art and creativity during this time, and other resources he could provide for people looking for more art lessons.
Right now, there’s a lot of uncertainty in the world. Why is creativity and creative expression more important than ever?
There are several reasons why creativity plays an important role in time like this. First, the mental health benefits of engaging in creative project work, which includes anything from a ten-minute origami folding session to a four-hour stretch of painting on canvas, have been proven time and again. Making things is meditative and healthy. Second, creative thinking often leads to innovation and solutions to problems. Look at all the home-made videos that surfaced on YouTube almost immediately on the topic of making face masks from regular household items.
For kids (and parents) who want to continue to participate, are you hosting any more classes in the future? If not, what other resources do you recommend for them?
Yes, my ‘Draw Along’ series will continue throughout the rest of April, if not longer. All episodes are now gathered on one Behance page, so you can easily find any show here: www.behance.net/live/students
As for other resources, check out ‘Stay Home and Draw’ with Mike Lowery on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikelowerystudio/
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