Adobe has sponsored a number of up-and-coming creatives every year since 2015. The select few are called Adobe Creative Residents, and if you haven't applied to become one this year, you should know that there's still time left.
Adobe Looks to Support New Talents
On February 16 at 9am PST, Adobe officially opened applications for its 2021 Creative Residency program. Applications are still open now, and will be until March 14 at 11:59pm PST. You must be a US resident of legal age and have English fluency to be eligible.
The Adobe Creative Residency program gives rising creative stars one year to focus on building up their local art communities and creating their dream portfolios. Adobe Creative Residents have a number of benefits, including a full salary, health benefits, mentorship, workshops, unlimited access to Adobe Creative Cloud and more.
Julia Tian, the Group Marketing Manager, Creative Community at Adobe writes to the Adobe Blog:
"The ideal candidate is passionate about building their community, skilled in their field, in the beginning stages of their creative career, and has the desire to make the Creative Residency their professional focus for one year."
You could be one of Adobe's future residents if you are primarily focused on any of the following categories:
- Short-form online video
- Photography
- Digital illustration
- Multi-disciplinary design (print and/or digital)
- Experience/interaction design using Adobe XD
But Adobe has supported all sorts of art fields and styles in the past, and the company still urges you to apply even if your area of expertise isn’t listed above.
Adobe recommends looking at the applications of previous Residents to get a feel for the quality of work to strive for. Tian linked advice videos by alumni Anna Daviscourt and Aaron Bernstein in her post, but the link of the latter doesn't seem to work.
It's also worth noting that the Adobe Creative Residency program is a full-time, 12-month commitment. So if during the residency year (May 2021 to April 2022) you have other commitments that prevent you from committing yourself full-time, you aren't eligible to be a resident.
Apply Now for Adobe Creative Residency
If you've checked to see that you meet all the qualifications, and have read through the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, you should prepare and submit your application on or before the March 14 deadline.
While it's true that if there are hundreds of applicants, then your chances of getting chosen are slim... but that's still higher than the zero percent chance you'd have if you didn't apply in the first place.