A good craftsman values good tools, but he doesn’t rely on how new they are to create excellent work.

Good work is more about your skills than your tools. Anyone with the available funds can purchase the latest gadget, but not anyone has the skills to put it to good use.

So don’t worry if you aren’t in a position to upgrade your tools. I assure you that you can create amazing things with what you’ve got if you try.

After all, I created my very best work using a relatively old second-hand laptop and tablet. I eventually had to replace them because they wouldn’t update anymore, but If that hadn’t been a problem I would’ve continued using them.

It’s not the arrow, it’s the archer.

That being said here’s the list of tools I use every week to manage my personal and professional digital life.

Design

Figma

I use Figma to quickly design loose wireframes for my websites and experiment with different visual styles before starting development. I also use it to vectorize my logo designs.

Affinity Suite

I used to use the Adobe suite for all my graphic design needs until I realized I was overpaying for bloated software. I decided to try Affinity and the rest is history. It’s fast, reliable, affordable, and versatile.

Photopea

When I don’t have access to my main computer and I have to rely on the browser I use Phtopea. Which is a cloud version of Photoshop. It’s truly amazing and surprisingly powerful. Created by a single person too!

Procreate

Procreate is probably the best piece of software I’ve ever used. I’ve been creating every single illustration of mine using it and the experience has been life-changing. The tools don’t get in the way of my creative process anymore. It’s just me and the canvas. And as icing on the cake, there are no annoying subscriptions.

Development

Framer

The best way to build beautiful and powerful websites on the fly without having to start from scratch.

VSCode

I use VSCode to code and maintain all my web projects. My theme of choice is called “Monochrome”. I love the minimalistic uniform aesthetic. So peaceful and clean.

Github

Where I keep all my code and where I get amazing inspiration from open-source projects.

Vercel

Fast, reliable, beautiful, minimal, affordable yet versatile. This is why I use Vecrel to host my hand-coded web projects.

Unity

I’m currently working on my first indie game, and there couldn’t be a better tool to help me create it from start to finish. As a novice game developer, I truly approach tools that allow you to focus more on the creative aspects of the game.

Utilities

Cleanshot

Screenshots on steroids! Not only is it snappy but it also allows me to make quickly edit and draw on my screenshots without having to open any extra software.

Grayscale

Screens can start to fry your brain after a few hours, so whenever I can I turn on Grayscale, an open source super simple Mac extension that allows you to add a grayscale filter to your whole system.

Image2Icon

As a nerd, I like to customize my most used apps on my Mac. Imag2Icon helps me convert any design into a valid format.

Squash

The lighter the image, the faster the web. Squash helps me compress all my images in one click.

Flux

If you spend many hours in front of a screen please do yourself a big favor and install Flux, a free extension that regulates the screen temperature depending on the time of the day to reduce eye strain and headaches.

OnePass

Security is important, so I use a reliable password manager to store all my sensitive information. Good luck hackers!

Video

Davinci Resolve

The best alternative to Premier Pro and Final Cut. It’s ideal for both absolute beginners and world-class professionals due to its modular design. There’s also a very generous free plan.

Screen Studio

The best software to turn average screen recordings into stunning smooth animated videos. So worth it. You’ll also be supporting a small independent business.

Tubecut

A beautifully designed app for Mac that lets you quickly download any YouTube video in any format.

Browsing

Brave

Chrome was too vanilla for me so I use Brave, a simple fast Chromium browser with some extra privacy-oriented features.

NewPipe

The best YouTube client for Android. Ideal for people who don’t want to get sucked in by the YouTube algorithm.

Notes

Obsidian

Obsidian is a dream come true. It’s simple, super fast, markdown-based, hackable, and lets me own all my notes.

Google Keep

I use it to quickly write down vague ideas when I’m on the go.

Sticky Notes

Paper is king, so when I’m in my office I use sticky notes to quickly write ideas and sketch visuals.

Hardware

MacBook Pro

I spend most of my time using my laptop for work, so I decided to bite the bullet and invest in a MacBook Pro 16-inch 512 GB Space Gray. Not only is it ridiculously powerful but it’s also a thing of beauty, and as a designer, I value that.

Dell U2723QE Ultra-Sharp

I’ve never been a fan of working straight from the laptop screen but I also don’t like dual monitor setups, so having one medium sized screen was the perfect middle ground for me. The Dell 27 is not too large, not too small, just the right size. It forces me to single task but I can fully immerse myself into that task. The design is also stunning and it lets me charge my MacBook through the USB-C port.

iPad Pro 11

My modern notebook. I call it my Proecreate machine as I solely use my iPad to sketch and illustrate. Nothing beats the precision and smoothness of the apple pencil!

Sandisk Extreme

I have 2 identical Sandisk Extreme 1TB hardrives I use to backup my whole Mac every month or so. They’re tiny, water resistant, and super fast.

Unihertz Jelly

The day I realized how much time I was wasting on my modern smartphone I bought the smallest smartphone in the world, the 3.5-inch Unihertz Jelly. Now I only use my phone for extremely necessary tasks. No more mindless scrolling.

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Hope this list has been helpful in some way, fellow creator! I’ll be tweaking it as times goes on and my creative process continues to evolve.