The “Essential” Gear We Just Have to Have
It seems like every creative has a collection of gear they swear they need to be the most creative. We spend hours justifying the purchase of the newest gadget on the market, convinced it’s going to level up our game.
So, are you truly creative bru if you don’t have these five essential gadgets sitting somewhere in your workspace, unused but appreciated as shelf art?
The Latest Tablet (with a Stylus You Forgot How to Use)
First up is the prized tablet, with the pressure-sensitive stylus that promises to make your sketches look like they belong in a museum. You picture yourself whipping up gorgeous digital artwork, every stroke a masterpiece, until you open the drawing app and realise… you forgot how to draw anything other than stick figures.
Sure, there’s potential there, but let’s be real: this sleek, high-tech device mostly doubles as a very fancy Netflix player (which I’m ok with), and the stylus? It’s that thing you keep losing in your bag, only to find once every quarter and think, “Maybe this time I’ll use it!”
The DSLR You Totally Don’t Need, But Can’t Live Without
Ah, the DSLR. If you’re a real creative, you’ve probably invested in at least one of these beauties. Not that you’re necessarily using it for “professional” photography or anything. The grand plan was to get into product photography or capture authentic shots for your portfolio.
Instead, you now use it to shoot blurry vacation photos or experimental shots of your coffee mug, which somehow still don’t look as good as what you could’ve done with your phone. But hey, the DSLR looks fantastic on your desk, adding a certain “serious creative” vibe to your workspace aesthetic.
The RGB Keyboard that’s Definitely Overkill
At some point, every designer thought, “This job is demanding on my fingers, so I need a really high-quality keyboard.” And why stop at a standard one? No, you went for the RGB keyboard with more colours than an ’80s disco party, fully customizable to flash every time you press a key. Because obviously, the key to creativity is turning your desk into a light show.
Now you spend way more time setting up your custom lighting scheme than using the keyboard for work. But it’s undeniably mesmerizing, and clients on Zoom calls will believe you’re legit when they see that LED glow in the background.
“This time, it’ll be different. This time, I’ll use this gadget all the time.”
A Drone That’s Probably Never Left the Box
Nothing says cutting-edge like having a drone. You tell yourself it’s for creative projects: bird’s-eye shots for a video project, sweeping landscapes to give your website a little edge, or maybe just some artsy social media content. You’re even convinced that your drone footage will soon be the stuff of legends.
But here’s the truth: that drone? It’s still in the box because whenever you think about taking it out, you remember the last time you nearly crashed it into a tree. It sits on your shelf like a tiny, sad helicopter reminding you that maybe some things are best left for the professionals (or at least people with a backyard).
The Studio Headphones You Had to Have but Barely Use
High-quality audio is important, right? Whether you’re editing videos, tweaking sound for an ad campaign, or just really into ‘hearing every note’ in your lo-fi playlist, you needed those studio headphones. They were an investment ok — a necessary one, you told yourself.
Now they spend most of their time around your neck or propped up on your desk because they’re so heavy that you get a cramp after wearing them for five minutes. And if we’re honest, you mostly use them to block out background noise during Zoom calls. But hey, they make you look professional.
It’s the Thought That Counts (Right?)
There you have it: the ‘essential-but-unused’ gadgets that no self-respecting creative can go without. Each one is a little token of the ambitious, slightly delusional inner voice that tells us, “This time, it’ll be different. This time, I’ll use this gadget *all the time.*”
But we all know the truth. And you know what? That’s okay. Because even if they spend more time as desk ornaments, these gadgets remind us of what we love about being creatives—the thrill of possibility, even if it’s a little misguided.
