Creativity Squared: On Supporting Independent Artists

Dear Creativity Squared Member —

I’m back from SXSW and it was better than I could have dreamed! The team is still working on some recap content so today I wanted to take the opportunity to say a special thank you…

This SXSW wouldn’t have been as special had it not been for Hugh Forrest. I want to thank him and also Nick Faust for all of their support for my Featured Session with Holly Herndon — Featured Session: AI, Music & Creativity in the Imagination Age with Holly Herndon — as the Co-President and Chief Programming Officer and Conference Programmer of SXSW, respectively.

These two and the whole team and volunteers of SXSW work incredibly hard to make the magic of the festival possible. It is a very special convening that happens in Austin every March that I’ve been looking forward to attending every year since 2009.
 
Hugh green-lit and trusted me to chase one of my wild ideas, which means the world to me, and the outcome was this Featured Session. On one of SXSW’s biggest stages. I don’t always get the green light, trust me. ;)
 
The original idea was to have Dolly Parton, Holly Herndon, and I on stage together to talk about A.I., music innovation, and legacy.
 
Fun fact: All three of us — Dolly, Holly, and I — are from East Tennessee and have been either holographically or digitally cloned!
 
Dolly was originally workshopping her upcoming musical and couldn’t make it…and if you didn’t hear, she recently lost her husband of 60 years, Carl Dean, so we sent Dolly the biggest amount of SXSW and Texas love during my intro.

One thing led to another, and it ended up being, instead of three, two East Tennessee women championing artists, the #ImaginationAge, and technology on the stage.

I was incredibly honored to have Hugh introduce me to the stage. The entire experience was better than I could have imagined (and I have a very vivid imagination! ;)

I already can’t wait for the video of it to come out so I can enjoy it purely as a viewer…and for you to catch the full session — I dropped a pretty baller move I did in my intro you’ll want to watch!

The stage was for Holly and she was absolutely stunning — Nick shared it was one of the most fascinating presentations that he’s ever seen which puts me even more over the moon, if that’s even possible!
 
Also, a massive thank you to Holly who fit this into her busy schedule and to her manager, Matt Werth, who went along with my scheming and helped tremendously behind the scenes.
 
From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Hugh, Nick, and everyone who pours love into SXSW and supports emerging talent, voices, and independent artists like Holly and I. And to Dolly Parton for considering joining us on stage — that means the world to me, too.

We feel your support and love and I am forever grateful. My heart is overflowing. 💖

Next week expect more SXSW content! I’m also heading to Miami tomorrow and will continue to keep the #ImaginationAge momentum going at Miami Music Week — hit me up if you’ll be there too!

Until then — 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 in April, 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.

💝 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!

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👍 AFFILIATE RECOMMENDATIONS 

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🖥 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! 

🪑 MARCH 22 Don’t Die Summit, Miami (Attendee)
🎥 MARCH 25-30 Miami Music Week, Miami (Interviewing)
🤝 APRIL 1 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), April meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
👷‍♀️ APRIL 9 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), April meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply to join)
📍 APRIL 9 OhioX GovTech Summit 
🤝 MAY 6 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), May meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
📍 MAY 8 OhioX 2025 Ohio Tech Summit (OhioX, #OhioX), Columbus (On radar to attend)
👷‍♀️ MAY 13 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), May meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply to join)
🎤 MAY 16 Power to Pursue, Cincinnati (Speaker) 
🪑 JUNE 10-12 Cincy AI Week (#CincyAIWeek), Cincinnati (CincyAI Community Partner)
🤝 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 8 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), July meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply to join)
🎥 JULY 17-20 (Tentative dates) ArtsWave 2025 Black and Brown Artists Grant Program Showcase, Cincinnati (Media Partner)
🎥 JULY 16-18 Data 4 Public Good (D4PG, #D4PG), Minneapolis (Media Partner) 
🤝 AUGUST 5 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), Aug meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
👷‍♀️ AUGUST 13 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), Aug meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply to join)
🤝 SEPTEMBER 2 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), Sept meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
👷‍♀️ SEPTEMBER 9 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), Sept meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply to join)
🪑 SEPTEMBER 10-11 MidwestCon (#MidwestCon), Cincinnati (CincyAI Community Partner)
📍 SEPTEMBER 26 OhioX Ohio Tech Day (OhioX, #OhioX), Columbus (On radar to attend)
🤝 OCTOBER 7 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), Oct meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host) - 2 Year Anniversary! 🥳
👷‍♀️ OCTOBER 8 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), October meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply)
🪑 OCTOBER 14-16 Marketing AI Conference (MAICON, #MAICON) Cleveland (Attendee)
🤝 NOVEMBER 4 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), Nov meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
👷‍♀️ NOVEMBER 11 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), November meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - Apply) - 2 Year Anniversary! 🥳
🪑 NOVEMBER 19 OhioX Ohio AI Summit (OhioX, #OhioX), Columbus (Attendee)
🤝 DECEMBER 2 CincyAI for Humans (CincyAI, #CincyAI), Dec meetup, Cincinnati (Co-Host)
🎥 DECEMBER 5-7 FilmGate Immersive Festival at Art Basel Miami Beach, Miami (Media Partner) [Art Basel Miami Beach Dec 5-7]
👷‍♀️ DECEMBER 10 Cincinnati AI Catalyst (CaiC, #CincinnatiAICatalyst), Dec meeting, Cincinnati (Volunteer Marketing Leader - - Apply to join) 🥳

✨❄️🎄 December 25 - January 7 Holiday Break 🥳❄️✨

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

🗞 PRESS & PODCAST INTERVIEWS

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

🎙 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 

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

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

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

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“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! 💝🪄✨

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