What’s in Your Utility Belt?
Intro
Without a doubt, Batman is one of the most iconic superheroes in comics history. You would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t know something about the Caped Crusader. There’s the origin story of his parents being gunned down in alley when he was a kid or the gallery of colorful rogues that he faces off against (some of which have their own spin-off movies of varying degrees of quality) to the costume that immediately distinguishes itself from other heroes. One of the more interesting facets is the fact that he’s just a dude who can keep with people who are basically gods. Sure, Bruce Wayne has a higher than average intellect, a bunch of money and knows just about every martial art you can shake a Google search at, but he’s still just a dude. One of the big ways he does this is with his equally iconic utility belt. Across all of the Batman media, he has a gadget that does just about anything and knows how to use it in any situation. I think we as artists & creatives should also have a utility belt. A set of tools to have on hand to help overcome creative challenges or capture rogue ideas when not at home. Not one with shark-repellent bat spray and one that goes beyond paint brushes or DAW plug-ins. They don’t even need to be the best or flashiest thing that only Bruce Wayne can buy, they just need to be handy. Here’s a list of Physical & Digital tools that I use on a regular basis and think every creative should have in their utility belt.
Physical Tools
All You Really Need is Pen & Paper
Okay, it’s a cop out answer. In fact, it’s probably THE cop out answer but that doesn’t make it any less true. There are so many ways that an artist can use some good ole pen & paper to get out of any creative jam. Jotting down some notes on a plot point for your story, a quick sketch of something cool you saw on a walk, or as a “swipe file” where you capture other pieces of art you encounter in the wild for you to “steal” for your own art (separate blog post coming on that later this year). The use cases are pretty endless and can be adapted for any need you might have. The basic idea of pen & paper can take on many different forms. (See, it wasn’t a total cop-out.)
Rocketbook
I personally need more organization and separation which would generally mean more notebooks. The issue with that is I don’t want to keep track of several different notebooks and may not even completely use them which could be wasteful. Fortunately, my wife got me one of these things for my birthday a few years ago and I use it for EVERYTHING. The Rocketbook is a smart notebook where you write everything down in a notebook (with special pens) and scan it in an app to several different destinations “in the cloud” like Google Drive, e-mails or OneNote. There are these little symbols at the bottom of each page where you can program in different subjects to automatically scan to your preset destinations. The fun part of this is that the pages are REUSABLE. When you’ve filled the notebook or scanned your notes, you can just wipe the pages off with a wet cloth. It’s so handy and economical to have if you have a lot of things you want to keep track of so you don’t have to keep buying new ones. I use this for planning out projects, taking notes on recording sessions, and outlining blog posts (including this one). I also got a Rocketbook Mini to keep in my pocket so I can jot things down quickly when I don’t have the big one with me.
Planner/To-Do List
If you’re not the kind of artist who wants to plan your projects in advance, then you can probably get by without one, but there’s some benefits to having one. I use one to plot out my projects, social media posts and the like and transcribe them to my Google Calendar so they’re always on hand (more on that coming up). It really helps with massive undertakings like an exhibition or recording project. There’s even a Rocketbook planner if you want to dive into that ecosystem even further. Planners can also help you build momentum. There’s a method that Jerry Seinfeld talks about with calendars. Basically, the idea is that you take a wall calendar or a planner and mark the days with an X or some kind of big noticeable marking to note that you did something related to your passion that day. The idea is that you build a chain of days, weeks, months and inspire you on days when you don’t feel like moving your passion forward.
Logbook
Artist and writer talked about this in his book “Steal Like an Artist”. The idea is that like a ship’s log, you write down everything you accomplished or felt during your day. It helps give you a written record to see where you’ve been. In periods of burnout or when you feel like you're not making any progress, it can really help to see everything that you’ve accomplished towards your goals. This can really complement a planner when you use the Seinfeld method I mentioned above.
Digital Tools
We live in an era where technology is advancing rapidly and everyone has access to a variety of tools all in one little pocket-sized computer. Smartphones are great little multi-tools to have on hand. Some are so capable that you almost don’t need a full-fledged computer. (Note: the part of me that is a massive tech nerd is both pleased and sad about this). Many smartphones have some great apps pre-installed
Voice Recorder
Sometimes you hear a sound that sets you on a creative train of thought or you want to capture the ambiance of a peaceful river or there’s a sound that you HAVE to sample for your song. Smartphones have great recording capabilities that make this doable without the need for a massive array of mics and an interface. iPhones come with one installed out of the box and if you’re on Android like I am, Google makes a great one that will transcribe any words you’re saying into text that you can search for later which is really handy if you’re a writer or lyricist.
Microsoft OneNote
I mentioned this one earlier but I’ve been using OneNote for years. It’s a great note taking app that allows you to capture and collect just about anything you can think of and sync across any of your devices. It’s great for project management or when you’re collecting things to help inspire your work. The best part is that it’s completely free. I use it with my Rocketbook to collect all of my notes that I can revisit on my phone, tablet or computer whenever I want.
Oblique Strategies
This one can be both digital and a physical tool as it’s actually a deck of cards developed by musician Brian Eno. Each card has a different little prompt, phrase or suggestion to get you thinking about your project in a new and unconventional way. This is a great way to break creative blocks or shake things up a bit. There are a bunch of free apps on both iOS and Android that make use of this.
Batcave
Batman pretty much has the perfect work space for a bat-themed crime fighter. It’s really important to have that even if you don’t have a secret identity you’re trying to maintain. There’s a lot of cues you can take from The Dark Knight to inspire your own space. There are mementos like a robot T-Rex and a giant penny to mark past triumphs and motivational pieces like the uniform of a fallen Robin or the gun that murdered his parents to remind him why he fights (I didn’t say they were upbeat pieces). Plus, a dark, damp cave with bats fluttering around is a great mood setter.
Fortunately, you don’t need a dark cave to create the perfect workspace. You just need a space that inspires you, even if it’s just a corner in your bedroom. The idea behind a good work space is to make your artistic work feel like play (so long as the play doesn’t get in the way of work). Do your best to minimize screens if not eliminate them altogether but that’s not entirely possible in most creative fields. Find whatever works best for you to shut out the world and make things
Conclusion
Being an artist whether it’s full-time, part-time or even just a hobby can be a fight. In the book, War of Art, author Steven Pressfield draws many comparisons to it being an eternal war against an unseen enemy. You don’t need to be armed to the teeth with Kryptonite laced armor or shark-repellent spray to kick butt as an artist. All you need to do is keep a few things close-by so you can catch any rogue ideas that come your way.
What are some tools that you like to keep in your utility belt? How do they help you in your day-to-day life? Let me know down below.