I learned of his passing through the speed of Twitter. Although I knew it was coming, I was still in shock. The man who revived and strengthened a once-dying company, led a fledgling animation studio and changed the game in the creative, marketing and tech industries, was gone.

Even though I didn’t know him personally, he had indirectly touched my life in many ways. My first job out of college was working at his company, via an Apple Store. Through my training at Cupertino HQ and my employment, I understood up close how the company ticked… and I created many friends along the way.

Jobs’s products enrich my life. I own a MacBook Pro, which I use for work and play. After my iPhone was stolen, I realized how it had vastly changed the way I used a mobile phone. (Fortunately, I got it back.) He changed the way I listened to and consumed music – and as a music fanatic, this is a big deal. And he led Pixar, the film studio who’d produce modern classics like Toy Story, Finding Nemo and my personal favorite, Up.

As a senior at HPU, I chose Apple for my advertising case study. Through a multimedia presentation and a paper, I broke down the brilliance of the company’s marketing and creative.

Most important, he was responsible for the operating system and applications where I’d learned how to edit videos, create publications and ultimately tell stories digitally. To say that I wouldn’t be where I am today because of him would be giving him too much credit, but he played a significant role in providing the tools to get me here.

Last night, as I made my way to meet up with old Apple friends at Ala Moana, I thought of Justin, my late friend and job training companion in Cupertino. With my iPhone, I left him a Facebook message:

“Give Uncle Steve a hug for me, will ya?”

My first big takeaway from my South by Southwest experience so far has literally just dawned on me, though it’s actually more of an affirmation of existing thoughts than a completely new takeaway. With challenges and limitations, come creativity and innovation.

Last night, I saw Under Great White Northern Lights, a concert tour documentary of The White Stripes. One of my favorite moments in the film was when Jack White talked about the different things he does onstage to make things more difficult for himself. Unlike many other guitarists, he inconveniently keeps his guitar picks on top of amps behind him, not taped on his mic stand. He plays the same guitars he used ten years ago when the band first started, even though they can be tough to keep in tune. And there is never a setlist.

From those challenges, spontaneity takes predictability’s place. Though these steps may make the band more vulnerable to mistakes, it makes them more human. The audience gets a performance that is always fresh and raw, not something you’d get from what Jack White calls “boring arena shows.” Convenience, the fanciest equipment, a formula, and a big budget don’t guarantee a winning result. They can result in something that might be pretty to look at, but ultimately lack the satisfying “meat” that audiences crave. This applies to anyone involved in anything creative—not just musicians. As Kristina Halvorson, champion of content strategy, said at her session today, “Content is king.”

Jack White said something else on creativity that that may sound heartbreaking to some people, but these words are the truth: you’re not always going to feel “inspired” to be creative. Most of the time, you just have to force yourself to create and hope something good will come out of it. I’ve heard these words before, and I’m sure anyone who is in a creative industry can relate. I sure as hell can.

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