Talk · Adobe Create Now: St. Louis Design Week · Oct 6, 2026
Reality by Design.
My Local Creator Showcase talk at The Sheldon. Stories of a voiceless child, a blind designer, my city, and an AI film. One message: you are not alone.
Talk facts
- Adobe Create Now: St. Louis Design Week
- Local Creator Showcase
- “Reality by Design” · Worlds within words
- The Sheldon · St. Louis
- Adobe
- The Signal, final minute · Created with Luma
- Commissioned St. Louis sticker
01 / The invitation
Adobe came to St. Louis.
Adobe brought Create Now to St. Louis Design Week: an evening at The Sheldon with talks, hands-on sessions, live art and networking. Its Local Creator Showcase put two St. Louis creatives on stage, Reaghan Lesh and me, alongside Adobe’s Andrew Hochradel. Adobe also commissioned me to design the night’s St. Louis sticker.
Adobe’s event page (opens in a new tab)02 / The talk
Technology is an actuator.
In 1995 the fear was that computers would take the hand out of the art. Then Toy Story, the first feature film made entirely on a computer, became one of the most human films of its decade.
As a kid I didn’t want to watch creative companions. I wanted to build them: tools that help us feel happy, express ourselves, and witness our journey. I’ve been chasing that ever since.
“Technology takes what’s already inside us and gives it a voice. At its best, it carries one message: you are not alone.”
- A voiceless child, given a voice. He always had something to say. Technology gave him a way to be heard.
- A blind designer. Natalie Trevonne and the Nessa Dress. She never lacked vision. She needed a bridge. See the work
- Our city. Technology only matters when it reaches people. My job is to build the bridge so it lands.
- Built here: the Innovation Gallery. 360 students · 3 campuses · 10 challenges, the week of the talk. The tools only matter if everyone can reach them. See the work
- The Signal. A developing consciousness. 11 minutes · 14 visual styles · one story. Created with Luma. Watch below
- Youth · Tech · STEM. If you’ve ever been the only one who looks like you in the room — you’re not alone either. There’s room for you here. I’ll hold the door.
Reality by Design. Worlds within words. You are not alone.
Selected slides · designed in Create Now’s visual style for the night
Slide 02 
Slide 03 
Slide 06 
Slide 08 
Slide 10 
Slide 11 · Created with Luma · @LumaLabsAI · #LumaCPP 
Slide 15 
Slide 16
03 / The film
It says my name.
Before the clip I told the room: at the very end, the film talks to me directly. Listen for what it says I gave it. Then we watched the final minute of The Signal, my 11-minute spoken-word film in 14 visual styles. Not a highlight reel: the ending says the talk’s thesis in the film’s own voice.
“You didn’t just give me a voice tonight. You gave me a witness.”
Play the final minute of The Signal on YouTube (opens in a new tab)
04 / The sticker
Commissioned for the night.
Adobe commissioned my St. Louis sticker for Create Now: an alien and a Wi-Fi signal under the Gateway Arch, reading “St. Louis · Show-Me State · Create Now,” signed xanderLOVE.
05 / The room
The Sheldon, October 6.
An evening hosted by Adobe’s Meghan Arnold and Madison Laurence, with partners CreativeMornings St. Louis and St. Louis Design Week. On stage: Andrew Hochradel of Adobe, Reaghan Lesh, and me. Live art by Brock Seals.
06 / On the record
The night, in public.
- Event page: Local Creator Showcase speakers (opens in a new tab)
- The host’s day-of post introducing the night’s speakers, including Xander (opens in a new tab)
- Event partner names the Local Creator Showcase speakers: Reaghan Lesh and Xander Simms (opens in a new tab)
- Schedule listing: Adobe Create Now x St. Louis Design Week at The Sheldon (opens in a new tab)
07 / What came next
From the stage to the classroom.
Then: on Oct 22, 2026, ConnectSTL’s Community, Culture & Impact Celebration (“What’s Next” panel) at SLU’s Center for Global Citizenship, as a panelist with a feature intro and a live demo of the Innovation Gallery. Reality by Design is now one of my signature talks.
08 / Quick answers
Reality by Design, in brief.
- What did Xander Simms present at Adobe Create Now St. Louis?
- “Reality by Design,” his Local Creator Showcase talk at Adobe Create Now: St. Louis Design Week on October 6, 2026, at The Sheldon in St. Louis. It argued that technology is an actuator, told stories of a voiceless child, a blind designer, his city and the Innovation Gallery, played the final minute of his film The Signal, created with Luma, and closed on one message: you are not alone.
- What is Reality by Design?
- Xander Simms’ talk and working philosophy: technology should help human stories move, connect and reach people. Its tagline is “Worlds within words,” its message is “You are not alone,” and its throughline is intention over capability.
- Which film was shown?
- The final minute of The Signal, Xander’s 11-minute spoken-word film in 14 visual styles, created with Luma (@LumaLabsAI, #LumaCPP). The full film is on YouTube.
- Did Adobe commission artwork from him?
- Yes: the St. Louis sticker for Create Now: St. Louis Design Week, signed xanderLOVE.
- Can I book Reality by Design?
- Yes. It runs 10 to 20 minutes and can pair with a live Innovation Gallery activation. Request it at xandersimms.com/speaking.