TNW2019 Daily: Our conference is your canvas

There are only 55 days left until our tech conference! Our CEO Boris gave me a shoutout in his weekly newsletter (yay), and said that he gets anxious when he reads the countdown on my articles. Don’t worry, Boris, we got this – because every year, TNW2019 is a roaring success.

On May 9 and 10, there will be so many cool things to do and people to meet. At the Art of Tech track, for example, you’ll come across innovative artists who use technology in their work. I find their projects fascinating – whether it’s wearable tech, graphic design, AR, or VR, these creatives channel their visions in ways I’ve never seen before. Let’s take a closer look at what they’ll talk about on stage.

The Art of Tech

I’ve heard a lot of people tell me they’re not creative, and I respectfully say they’re full of shit. We’re all creative in some way – and the future of technology will inevitably impact and transform how we go about it. If you’re in sales, for example, you have to get creative with the story you tell your clients. With tech, you’ve already been able to sell things better through file sharing, video calls, and digital presentations. Imagine how powerful your narrative will be if you throw VR into the mix.

So embrace the fact that you are a creative genius – just like your mom told you as a kid when you drew your little stick figures, but for real this time. Simply put, the Art of Tech track is for absolutely everyone.

Our speakers will talk about the way tech will impact our creative process, and how we can use tech to create meaningful narratives about societal issues. I’m excited to hear from all of them, including Pauline van Dongen, who designs wearable tech, Rama Allen, Executive Creative Director of The Mill, and Sougwen Chung, Artist in Residence at the New Museum of Contemporary Art.

I’ll be there to find out how creativity and tech will converge in the future. I like to knit, so maybe we can develop some kind of high-tech needle that corrects me when I make a mistake (which is very often, I’ve been knitting the same sock for a year now). Anyways, see you there?

Me on a Friday night:

Speaker spotlight: Estelle Caswell

Estelle Caswell is a music journalist for popular news site, Vox. As she so eloquently puts it herself, she is a “pro doodler” who “makes visual treats.” And treats us, she does. If you stalk her like I do, you can watch her video series Earworm, which explains cool things like the history of smooth jazz in the 90s, and why we really like repetition in music.

Using animated graphics to tell a story is extremely powerful, and it’s helped us comprehend and absorb more knowledge. At TNW2019, Estelle will talk about her creative relationship with tech, and her visions for the future. If you want to learn more about her really cool art, don’t miss her speak at the Art of Tech track.

That’s a wrap on today’s TNW2019 Daily! Tune in next week for more conference highlights, and make sure to catch up on previous editions. I know you’ll miss me this weekend, but I’m back on Monday. Promise.