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Creativity Squared: On the Power of Imagination in the Era of A.I.

Dear Creativity Squared Collective —

Thanks for being here, and I hope this finds you well wherever you’re reading this!

Today, enjoy another special interview from Miami Music Week with Esther Anaya, a Colombian-born DJ, music producer, classically trained violinist, and singer who has masterfully bridged worlds of classical violin and electronic dance music.

Her journey hasn’t been an easy one — fleeing Colombia under political asylum, Esther arrived with a dream and the determination to pursue it. She epitomizes the power of resilience, imagination, and passion for her craft.

I first met Esther at SXSW this year where she performed at Creativity Squared’s #ImaginationAge 72-hour party, and it was such an honor to get to interview her at Miami Music Week ahead of her performance at the InterContinental Miami.

She’s incredibly talented and impressive. Esther’s accolades include performing with Rihanna and Kanye West, releasing music with Snoop Dogg, and performing at major festivals around the world. She's also the official DJ for the Los Angeles Chargers and has performed at Super Bowl 2023, Pro Bowl 2023, EDC Mexico City 2024, and Formula 1 Mexico City 2024.

Esther’s commitment to delivering unforgettable performances includes embracing technology — she’s performed live with a drone show that created a violin against the night sky! (I’m still having FOMO for missing this one!)

Her approach to performance — creating immersive, multi-sensory experiences that transcend traditional boundaries between genres and art forms — positions Esther at the vanguard of music's future. She’s definitely one to watch, and this interview is just a teaser ahead of a studio interview for a deeper dive. Until then, check out my interview with this multi-hyphenate artist who is taking the EDM world by storm with her electric violin! 

Also, I’m happy to share that the audio from my SXSW presentation “Farewell, Information Age — Welcome to the Imagination Age!” is now available for listening on SXSW’s website!

I’m currently turning this presentation into a 20-minute version for SUMMIT Detroit and into a book this year. The last SUMMIT I attended, Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin shared their A.I. Dilemma presentation, and I’ll never forget people gasping in the audience at the existential threat A.I. poses…and how we can’t afford to make the same mistakes we did with social media with the most powerful technology we’ve ever created. Only a few short years later, the urgency to forge a different path has never been more important (and Tristan’s latest TED Talk reinforces this).

Earlier this afternoon, I was speaking with a friend about the Imagination Age, and the question came up: can you even really imagine a future where we actually achieve a radically different outcome — like one without wars? The friend quickly dismissed it as impossible given our history and the heartbreaking current geopolitical landscape.

And herein lies one of our great challenges: if we can’t imagine a different, possible future, then how will we ever be able to manifest it?!

The Imagination Age provides a new framework to help do just this — and not just the concepts, but real-world application, too.

Join the #ImaginationAge movement, a new approach to reimagine our collective future, and be part of harnessing A.I. for good.

Start by becoming a supporter by pre-ordering my forthcoming book "Farewell, Information Age — Welcome to the Imagination Age.” 

As I prepare for the next version of the presentation, I’ll be working while on the road again. On Tuesday, I’m excited to fly to London for another special interview with Bluey, a DJ who started with vinyl and is now at the bleeding edge of embracing emerging tech. And there’s more SXSW content coming your way, so stay tuned!

Until next week, here’s to playing in the playground of possibility and manifesting more magic in 2025! 🪄✨

-Helen

p.s. Our 2025 podcast season will kick off again this spring, but we’ll keep the newsletter going between now and then, aside from the holidays and major conferences.

Helen Todd (she/her)
Human behind Creativity Squared
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How creatives are collaborating with A.I.

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💝 SUPPORT CREATIVITY SQUARED & ARTSWAVE

Become a Creativity Squared and #ImaginationAge supporter today! Pre-order my forthcoming book as a crowd-funded advance, enabling me to bring it to life. The book is based on my SXSW presentation of the same name, “Farewell, Information Age — Welcome to the Imagination Age.” Your financial support enables the movement and this independent female voice to champion it — thank you to everyone’s who’s already ordered a copy!

💝 SUPPORT CREATIVITY SQUARED & ARTSWAVE

How can you support this show? I’m so glad you asked! ☺️

Here are a few ways you can contribute to this independent female voice’s platform who’s championing Responsible A.I. and a human-centered future where it’s Dolly Parton and Holly Herndon — protectors of dreams and generative in their generosity and work — ushering in the #ImaginationAge (not AI ushering in the Intelligence Age, where humans are erased, starting with the framing…but I digress!).

Please consider supporting Creativity Squared in whatever way you can and would like to:

✅ Subscribe to the Creativity Squared YouTube channel (one day in the near future, I’ll be making money from this channel!)

🎨 I want to live in a world where artists not only coexist with A.I., but thrive. And because it’s important to support artists, 10% of all revenue Creativity Squared generates goes to ArtsWave, a nationally recognized non-profit that supports over 150 arts organizations, projects, and independent artists. Consider becoming a Premium Member today or making a one-time tip!

🦋 I'm SUPER excited to share that my upcoming SXSW presentation, Farewell, Information Age — Welcome to the Imagination Age, is becoming a book! 📗 The conversations on my podcast Creativity Squared have informed many of the concepts, and I couldn’t be more excited to present them on stage in Austin in March and in print this year. Pre-order your copy today as a crowd-funded advance to support an independent female voice. Your support will enable me to bring this idea to life — and is greatly appreciated! 🥰💛

🎉 And as a reminder, when you support this show, you’re also supporting ArtsWave!

🥳 Because it’s important to support artists, 10% of all revenue Creativity Squared generates goes to ArtsWave, a nationally recognized non-profit that supports over 150 arts organizations, projects, and independent artists. For the third year in a row, we’re proud to partner with ArtsWave to also amplify the phenomenal artists selected for their 2025 Black and Brown Artist Program, elevating underrepresented voices and bridging cultural divides through art. You can get caught up on previous years’ ArtsWave interview series here!

🚀 Interested in becoming a sponsor of Creativity Squared? Reach out!

👍 AFFILIATE RECOMMENDATIONS 

💝 Using these links also supports Creativity Squared, and we only recommend what we actually back!

🐝 We use Beehiiv for this newsletter and are big fans! (If you’re not aware of Substack’s racist issues, this NYT article is for you.)

🎙 Riverside is the platform we use for recording podcast episodes, and recommend the web-based software!

🎶 Play Audio Agency, headquartered in Cincinnati, is home to the team that helps produce the show and are audio rock stars!

🖥 Need a new website or the slightest of help on your current site? Check out e9 Digital — they created, and help us host and manage Creativity Squared’s website! They know how to make accessible websites which I love. Mention Creativity Squared for 20% off too!

📆 EVENTS, A.I. CONFERENCES & MORE! 

🎤 MAY 16 Power to Pursue, Cincinnati (Speaker)

📍 JUNE 4 Content Authenticity Summit, NYC
🎤 JUNE 5 SUMMIT DETROIT (Speaker)
🏆 JUNE 11 The Fire Awards powered by the 1819 Innovation Hub (CincyAI is a finalist!)
🪑 JUNE 10-12 Cincy AI Week (#CincyAIWeek), Cincinnati (CincyAI Community Partner)
🎤 JUNE 13 AFTACon (#AFTACON #AFTACON2025), Cincinnati (Speaker)
🤝 JUNE 17 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), June meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)

🤝 JULY 1 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), July meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
📍 JULY 14-16 Black Tech Week, Cincinnati
🎥 JULY 16-18 Data 4 Public Good (D4PG, #D4PG), Minneapolis (Media Partner) 
🎥 JULY 17-20 (Tentative dates) ArtsWave 2025 Black and Brown Artists Grant Program Showcase, Cincinnati (Media Partner)

For the full calendar, check it out here!

Interested in having me speak at your event or host a workshop for your organization? Reach out!

🗞 PRESS & PODCAST INTERVIEWS

🎙 Fulcra Dynamics podcast, “The Augmented Life,” with CEO Michael Tiffany (April 29, 2025) — The Imagination Age Is Here: Reclaiming Attention, Creativity, and the Future of AI with Helen Todd

🎙 AI Explored with Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner (November 5, 2024) — Using AI to Expand Your Ideas and Creativity 

🎙 Reflections with an Accent with Kike Calvo (October 18, 2024) — Unveiling AI's Creative Power with Helen Todd | Reflections with an Accent 

🏆 Cincinnati Business Courier’s Fire Awards (May 2025) — Finalist in “Disruptor” category for CincyAI for Humans

🏆 Aviatra Accelerators (September 5, 2024) — Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award 

📖 Movers & Makers Magazine (October 1, 2024) — Notables in AI + Print

📖 Cincinnati Magazine + Print (December 19, 2023) — Clone Wars + Print

🖥 SXSW Conference Community Newsletter (December 5, 2024) — SXSW 2025 Speaker Helen Todd talks Digital Twins

🖥 UC News (July 5, 2024) — Mayor Pureval, Rob Richardson lead ethical AI symposium

🖥 UC News (June 4, 2024) — Community of AI enthusiasts expands in Cincinnati

🖥 AdAge (April 15, 2024) — The Dalí Museum used AI to recreate Salvador Dalí’s voice—so you can ask him anything

🖥 UC Office of Research (February 28, 2024) — CincyAI and Digital Futures Partnership: Growing AI Talent in our Region & Beyond 

Listen: Ep.75 BBL Drizzy, A.I. & Manifesting A.I.: Discover How Will Hatcher Manifested His Way to a Time100 A.I. 2024 Honoree

Apple | Spotify | YouTube | Pandora | Amazon | Google | SoundCloud | iHeart Radio

“If you're trying to play life safe, then I don't think you can fully experience life, you know. So you gotta go to places that you never been before, be in uncomfortable situations, because that's where the real growth is.” -King Willonius

Discover the magic of manifesting in a Creativity Squared exclusive interview from the ONLY comedian (and one of two artists!) who’s a Time100 AI 2024 honoree in the Innovators category: King Willonius. 👑 

His real name is Willonius Hatcher (his first name is pronounced “Will-OWN-ee-us,” and he also goes by Will). 2024 has been a breakout year for Will after his “BBL Drizzy” comedy song went viral — the first song made in collaboration with A.I. that became a cultural phenomenon, transcending genres and mediums!  

What do Burning Man, Dune 2, and the Frost Planetarium have to do with his story? Listen in to our 75th episode — and the last one for 2024! — to find out.

Creativity Squared interviewed Will live at the FilmGate Miami Interactive Festival XI, one of the top ten immersive festivals in the world! You’ll hear why it’s so special from the festival’s Head Curator, Co-Founder, and Executive Producer, Diliana Alexander. 

On opening night, the FilmGate Miami audience got a preview of the “BBL Drizzy Musical Dome Experience”. Next year, Creativity Squared will be back to see the full production and host another time capsule conversation with Will. 

Once you check out the interview, you’ll know that Will is just scratching the surface of what’s possible — he’s ahead of the entertainment industries, and is definitely one to follow!

Why did he make the Time100 AI 2024 Innovators list? 

For Creativity Squared Founder and Podcast Host, Helen Todd’s take, check out the dedicated blog post accompanying this episode (we recommend starting with this first 😉):

Our 2025 podcast season will kick off again in April, but we’ll keep the newsletter going between now and then, aside from the holidays.

Here’s to manifesting more magic in the new year — enjoy! 💝🪄✨

Become a Premium Member to Unlock Exclusive Content and Claim Your NFT

Become a Premium Member to unlock exclusive content and to claim your NFTs of episode cover art!

At $10 per month or discounted to $100 for annual memberships, Premium Members enjoy other benefits too:

• $1 per month (or $10 per year) to ArtsWave

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There is also a VIP Founding Member tier for those who want lifetime first dibs and access to Creativity Squared content, events, and whatever we dream up!

Because it’s important to support artists, 10% of all revenue Creativity Squared generates will go to ArtsWave, a nationally recognized non-profit that supports over 100 arts organizations.

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