Five Things Worth Your Money (From a Graphic Designer)

If there’s one thing the internet loves to tell creatives, it’s what we need to buy. The newest iPad. A ridiculously expensive (but also very average) notebook. A very specific pen (that you'll lose in a week) that will apparently change our entire creative process.

Inspired by the current “5 things worth your money” trend, I decided to put together my own version:

5 things I genuinely think are worth spending money on as a creative.

Not because they’re trendy, aesthetic, or plastered all over TikTok, but because they actually make creating a little easier and more enjoyable. Some are tools, some are experiences, all explaining why they're worth the money.

Because being a creative can get expensive very quickly. If I’m going to spend the money, I want it to actually be worth it!

1. Invest in your workspace

Having a comfortable place to work and be productive is crucial to an efficient creative workflow. Whether it be your physical workspace or your digital workspace, it's important to allow yourself the room and materials you need to reach your full potential in the best way possible.

For your physical workspace, investing in things like an ergonomic chair or mouse, a desk, and all of the little (or big) things that make creating more comfortable and therefore easier down the road are definitely worth the money. For example, having proper seating that fits my needs is huge. If I plan to continue being a designer, creative, and marketer for decades to come, I need to ensure my posture and physical health related to sitting in the same spot for hours is looked after.

Even allowing yourself a dedicated space to work (if it's plausible for your situation) that is separate from your bedroom and dining room table is something I couldn't recommend more. Keeping your work separate from all other activities, such as eating and sleeping, simply to allow your body to differentiate between the tasks at hand based on space.

For your digital workspace, investing in programs or tools that may help you to do your work more efficiently is also so important. But it's also important that you allow yourself to indulge in these things when the time comes, and believe, "My work does deserve this," and take your work seriously.

For example, I invest in my Adobe subscription each month. This includes every program I use that helps me to work more efficiently. I could use free programs for sure, but they often lack what paid programs have, and I've been using these specific programs for over 6 years now. It's just second nature at this point to continue to use them.

I was honestly scared of the one-time payment for Procreate. It was completely new to me, but after weeks of consideration, I decided the learning experience alone was worth the price tag. And after actually using it, I can say it has so many benefits that make it worth the investment.

Even things like a stock image/video membership can make things so much easier in your process if you sell your work or need to work around legality.


2. Invest in your education

When I say "Invest in your education," yes, if it's plausible for you to do so and you're interested in the opportunity, attend schooling for your craft. But by no means is it the only route to success; there are so many wonderful, talented creatives who are entirely self-taught.

When I mention investing in education, I'm more so leaning toward workshops, one-off classes, and educational resources such as books or digital courses to further your learning. Many creative fields are evolving day-by-day; keeping up with the evolution of your craft is crucial to keeping your workflow efficient and a good use of your time.

Lately, I'm on a spree of purchasing second-hand design books from thrift stores, as resources like these are very hard to come by for such a low price. If I can pay once for a reference book that will provide me inspiration for months, even years, I think that's money well spent.


3. Invest in experiences

Yes, a lot of events nowadays are also hosted online, either free or at a significantly lower cost, but the in-person aspect of experiences such as conferences, panels, networking events, and such are (I feel) so much more powerful and inspiring in person. For example, I attended Adobe Create Now this year (it was actually free to attend!); Actually seeing these role-models of my field on a stage, speaking of their journeys and their inspirations, left me with a newfound motivation and want to push myself and my work even further. How I see attending these in-person events is almost like the difference between listen to music on a streaming platform versus seeing the performance live in concert. It in a way feels magical like "wow, this is real, I'm here, and I'm surrounded by likeminded, talented people".

Even attending museums or galleries that are directed toward your craft is a valuable experience for taking in inspiration, motivation, and different perspectives or techniques that you may not have considered beforehand.


4. Invest in putting your work out there

If you're running a business, having a strong and recognizable brand is important. Your branding is what helps people recognize you, remember you, and understand what you do. This can absolutely be done yourself for free, but sometimes bringing in the big guns for strategic and professional help is a wise move down the line.

But that identity shouldn't have to live only online. Having something tactile that carries your branding with you can be just as valuable, which is where business cards come in.

I know it sounds unlikely, but you'd be shocked how often you're out in public, chatting with a stranger about your business, and think, "Damn, I wish I had a super cool, compact item to give this person that would give them every way of contacting me and seeing all of my media formats."

And the fun thing about business cards? They can be whatever you want them to be. Varying shapes, sizes, materials, concepts, are all free game when it comes to business cards. They're honestly not too much of a hassle to produce from home either if you have the appropriate materials.

Going back to believing in your work when it comes to investing in it, marketing your work and actually allowing the public to see and judge what you do is a huge step, but one that is needed if you plan on having a profitable craft or connecting with an online presence.

Yes, marketing can be done with absolutely no budget, but even a small budget, say $5/week, doesn't hurt. This budget, big or small, can go towards post boosts, domain fees, printing costs, etc., whatever is most necessary and logical to put your creativity into the hands of whoever needs it most.


5. Invest in experimentation

Lastly, investing in experimentation is scary. I'm not saying go spend $300 on an entirely new business venture that you have zero experience in and very limited knowledge of, although I'm definitely guilty of doing just that...

What I mean is, if you can experiment with your craft, and an experiment turns out very well, consistently even, you can scale your craft to a whole new level, a different range of audience, a new bracket of profit.

And even if the experiment goes poorly, or you've tried it for a while and are not happy with the outcome, it was a learning experience. Now, for the future, you know you may not be interested in this type of thing, or it may not work for you or your craft specifically.

Experimenting and being open-minded allows for creativity to grow in ways that are unimaginable, and that in itself will always be worth the investment costs.

At the end of the day, you're going to spend money as a creative regardless. Whether it's on another notebook you'll barely use, a new tool you're convinced you need, or something that genuinely helps you grow, create, and enjoy your craft, you're spending either way. So why not put that money toward something that's actually worth it?

Not every investment is going to pay off immediately, and not everything you spend money on needs to become a profitable part of your craft. Sometimes, it's just about making the process a little better, learning something new, or reminding yourself that your creativity is worth investing in.

So, before you buy that ridiculously expensive notebook... maybe ask yourself what you're actually investing in. 👀


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