Every year at Adobe MAX audiences are treated to a handful of special luminary speakers — standout artists and creative heroes whose personal journeys and influential work expands and exemplifies how culture, experience and experimentation can shape creative work.
In these sessions you can learn how each Luminary thinks about creativity, develops their own workflows and how they harness innovative new Adobe tools and technology while preserving the raw joy of creativity.
Let’s meet the newest luminaries coming to MAX.
Slow journalism on the frontline with George Butler
Illustrator and Artist-Reporter George Butler reports from conflict zones, climate hotspots and humanitarian crises, using pen, ink and watercolor to tell deeply human stories that go beyond the headlines. Over two decades, he has documented frontline experiences from Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq, Nepal, Ukraine, Syria and Angola, focusing not on carnage but on meaning, dignity and identity. George encourages a new perspective on the world’s most urgent stories while championing creativity in education, the home and the workplace. He is the co-founder of ACTION SYRIA.
Join George for the Luminary session, "Creativity, Crisis, and the Future of Being Human". News moves fast. Human stories don't. Can "slow journalism" repair what polarized media has broken? By slowing down in places characterized by urgency, George cuts through today’s fragmented, fatigue-driven news cycle and offers a powerful counterpoint to the speed and abstraction of the digital age. Learn how visual storytelling can deepen empathy and understanding, and dig into his techniques for using ink, time-lapse, and stop-frame to report the news.
Develop an artistic voice with Murugiah
Murugiah is a British-Sri Lankan multi-disciplinary artist, illustrator and designer working in London. Using a colorfully surreal visual aesthetic, he playfully explores the macabre, bittersweet and joyful experiences of his daily life and identity. Across film, architecture, art and design, his dreamy, candy-coated work is infused with South Asian motifs — visual themes that he hopes will resonate with those also searching for kindness, authenticity and compassion.
Check out Murugiah’s Luminary session "Finding Your Creative Voice on Your Own Terms". Fresh from his landmark solo show at the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, Murugiah will share his unconventional journey from architect to multidisciplinary artist, with a practice that now spans illustration, design, public sculpture, and animation. He will take you behind the scenes of commercial projects for Apple, New Balance, Faber, and Elton John, sharing honest stories of reinvention, self-discovery and uncertainty — and how these challenges ultimately shaped his work.
Find inspiration everyday with Marisol Ortega
Marisol Ortega is a first-generation Mexican-American designer, illustrator, and art director living and working in the United States’ Pacific Northwest. She is best known for her vibrant flora and fauna illustrations that play with texture, linework, bold color palettes and organic shapes — reflecting an exploration of her cultures.
In Marisol’s Luminary session, "Your Life Is the Moodboard", she asks “what if your next great idea is closer than you think?” Discover how everyday moments, memories and experiences can turn your life into your own moodboard. Learn how to elevate the ordinary, unlock original ideas from life experiences and create work that feels authentic, personal and uniquely yours. In this session, she will explore how she redesigned the Seattle Kraken's NHL jersey for “Women in Hockey Month.”
“Whimsify” your work with Vanessa Rivera
Vanessa Rivera is the digital artist behind social media studio "The Life of AIVAX", where she uses photography, digital painting, and compositing — along with frequent production help from her family — to turn everyday moments into storybook-style magic. Think childhood nostalgia, big imagination and a little bit of everyday chaos turned into art.
Join Vanessa for the Luminary session, "Creative Storytelling that Stands Out in a Crowded Feed". Great stories don’t always start with big ideas — they often begin with small, ordinary moments we tend to overlook. She will share how everyday moments have inspired some of her most viral and meaningful artwork. Through her Notice, Expand, Whimsify framework, she’ll break down her creative process and show attendees how to create stories that feel original, emotional, and impossible to scroll past.
Editing for the attention economy with Hayden Hillier-Smith
Hayden Hillier-Smith is a Streamy Award–winning video editor and creative director known for shaping some of the most influential content on YouTube. As the longtime lead editor for Logan Paul, he helped redefine what modern online editing looks like — developing a fast-paced, story-driven style that has reached billions of views and influenced a generation of creators.
Hayden has collaborated with top creators including MrBeast, Johnny Harris, Michelle Khare, and Sam & Colby. He runs the HillierSmith YouTube channel and co-hosts "The Editing Podcast".
Join Hayden for the Luminary session, "Story vs. Scroll: Crafting Narratives for the Attention Economy". Two editing languages are competing for dominance: traditional storytelling is patient, invisible and built to serve the narrative whereas modern web media is aggressive, fast-cut, and engineered for fractured attention. But what if the tension isn't a rivalry — but a gap? Hayden will share the unified editing philosophy he's developed: a modernized approach to classical principles that respects the Attention Economy without abandoning artistry.
Explore all Luminary sessions by selecting Luminary in the catalog’s session-type filter. And browse through the full list of Adobe MAX 2026 speakers here.
