Exploring the Intersection of Creativity and Technology || Oliver MacDonald Artwork

Pebbles of Light

Pebbles of Light strives to help you recognize those who have helped light your path and become the person you are. This helps you to have direction and courage in sharing your light with others. We'll cover a variety of topics, including: parenting, mom hacks, faith, home life, relationships, traditions, and more.

Pebbles of Light is all about finding and sharing small moments that bring hope, healing, and connection. Each episode is created with the belief that one story, one insight, or one act of kindness can ripple outward and make a lasting difference.

Host Anne Maxson has taught multiple times at BYU-Idaho's Education Week and has had numerous articles published in Liahona Magazine, LDSLiving.com, and Tiny3DTemples Blog, among others.

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Pebbles of Light

Exploring the Intersection of Creativity and Technology || Oliver MacDonald

January 13, 2026 • Anne Maxson • Episode 31

0:00 | 37:01

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Ep 31: Exploring the Intersection of Creativity and Technology || Oliver MacDonald

Curiosity, creativity, and failure are not detours—they’re teachers.

In this episode of Pebbles of Light, Anne Maxson sits down with engineer, artist, educator, and startup founder Oliver MacDonald to explore how curiosity across disciplines—art, engineering, language, and culture—shapes meaningful lives and resilient careers.

Oliver shares how growing up immersed in multiple cultures and languages, studying in the International Baccalaureate program, and pursuing both art and engineering taught him to embrace failure as part of learning. From rock climbing and kinetic sculptures to rejected research papers and startup life, Oliver reframes failure not as an endpoint, but as fuel for growth.

This conversation invites listeners to rethink specialization, embrace experimentation, and recognize how creativity—especially art—helps us stay connected to our humanity even in uncertain or demanding seasons of life.

Choose one interest you’ve been curious about and commit to exploring it for just one month—without worrying about mastery or outcomes. Pay attention to what draws you back.

Topics Covered

Why curiosity matters more than early specialization
The role of failure in engineering, art, and life
How International Baccalaureate education encourages integration
Rock climbing as a metaphor for growth
Art as proof of humanity
Learning through rejection and iteration
Language, culture, and how we think
Building startups through collaboration
The power of relationships as “Pebbles of Light”

Guest

Oliver MacDonald — Engineer, artist, educator, PhD student, and co-founder of Qtex AI

Follow & Connect with Oliver

Instagram – ⁠https://www.instagram.com/anomalous_designs/?hl=en⁠

LinkedIn – ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivermacd/⁠

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