Some thoughts from my Apple creator experience in LA. Discover how I use Pixelmator Pro and the iPad to help me overcome the blank canvas and create.

The blank canvas is a wall, one that carries enough weight to stall any project. At the Apple Creator Experience in Los Angeles for the launch of Apple Creator Studio, I shared how the right tools can bridge that fear, along with personal stories from my twenty-year journey as a designer.

In 2006, my office was robbed. I lost every piece of hardware, every digital file. Years of work and personal projects, gone. That moment forced a new path. I started a blog to back up my work and document my process. That site became Abduzeedo. Standing in LA two decades later, spotlighting a tool I've used throughout my career, felt like coming full circle, engaging and learning alongside a new generation of global creators.

I've been a dedicated Pixelmator user since its 2007 debut. The software redefined my expectations for design tools through exceptional performance and obsessive attention to detail. Whether on Mac or iPad, the experience is seamless, encouraging experimentation and creative play. I find similar joy in Keynote, especially when demonstrating features like Magic Move. There's still magic in watching those transitions.

The Apple Creator Experience allowed me to transition my work from screen to physical space. Seeing my digital designs scaled onto massive walls was humbling. It reminded me that while pixels may turn to ink, the creative idea beneath remains constant across every medium.

Tools matter because they help us start. They push us through the fear of the blank canvas.

Tools matter because they help us start. They push us through the fear of the blank canvas. Whether on Mac or iPad, technology serves the story we're trying to tell. My path, from losing everything to sharing my story with other creators, proves that design is a constant process of starting over, and starting again.

Apple Creator Experience

Images used with permission from Apple.