Resources

Over the years, we've tested hundreds of tools, read countless books, and taken more courses than we'd like to admit. This page collects the ones that actually made a difference — the resources we genuinely use and recommend, organized by what you're trying to do.

Nothing on this page is here because someone paid us. These are honest recommendations from working creatives.

Design Tools

Figma — The industry standard for UI/UX design, and the free tier is remarkably generous. If you design for screens, this is where you should be working. The collaborative features are unmatched, and the plugin ecosystem extends its capabilities significantly.

Photopea — A browser-based image editor that handles PSD files natively and covers about 90% of what most people use Photoshop for. Free, no install required, and genuinely impressive.

Inkscape — Open-source vector graphics editor. Not as polished as Illustrator, but fully capable for logo work, icon design, and vector illustration. SVG-native workflow is a real advantage for web work.

Coolors — The fastest way to generate and refine color palettes. Lock colors you like, randomize the rest, export in any format. Simple and perfect.

Writing Tools

Hemingway Editor — Paste your writing in and it highlights overly complex sentences, passive voice, and readability issues. It won't make you a great writer, but it will make you a clearer one. We run every article through it before publishing.

Obsidian — A markdown-based note-taking app that lets you link ideas together, building a personal knowledge graph over time. Exceptional for creative research, project notes, and long-term thinking. Your data stays on your machine as plain text files.

iA Writer — A distraction-free writing app that strips away everything except your words. The focus mode, which highlights only the current sentence, is genuinely useful for getting into flow. Available on Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android.

Photography & Visual

Adobe Lightroom — Still the best photo editing and organization tool for photographers. The mobile version is free and surprisingly powerful. If you shoot regularly, the full version is worth the subscription.

Snapseed — Google's free mobile photo editor. For quick edits on the go — exposure, color, sharpening, selective adjustments — it handles everything most creatives need without the complexity of a desktop app.

Unsplash — High-quality, freely usable photographs. Invaluable for blog posts, mockups, and design projects when you need imagery but don't have a budget for stock photography. Always credit the photographer when you can.

Productivity & Workflow

Notion — Part note-taking app, part project management tool, part database. We use it as our central hub for content planning, contributor tracking, and editorial calendars. The learning curve is real, but the flexibility is worth it.

Todoist — If Notion feels like overkill for task management, Todoist is the answer. Clean, fast, and focused on one thing: helping you get things done. The natural language input — "Write article draft every Tuesday at 9am" — is particularly well done.

OBS Studio — Free, open-source screen recording and streaming software. We use it for recording tutorials, creating client walkthroughs, and capturing process videos. Powerful but with a learning curve.

Business & Freelancing

AND CO (now Fiverr Workspace) — Invoicing, contracts, time tracking, and expense management in one tool. The free tier handles the basics, and having a professional invoice template alone is worth setting up an account.

Bonsai — An all-in-one freelance management suite covering proposals, contracts, invoicing, accounting, and tax preparation. More comprehensive than AND CO, with a price to match. Worth it once your freelance income is consistent.

Calendly — Eliminates the back-and-forth of scheduling meetings. Share your link, let people book a time that works, and get on with your life. The free tier is sufficient for most freelancers.

Learning & Development

Skillshare — A wide library of creative classes covering design, illustration, photography, writing, and more. Quality varies, but the best instructors are genuinely excellent. Good for exploring new skills or deepening existing ones.

The Futur (YouTube) — Chris Do's channel is one of the best free resources for creative business education. Pricing, negotiation, branding, and the business side of design — covered with depth and honesty.

The Elements of Style by Strunk & White — 85 pages that will teach you more about clear writing than any course. Every creative should read it once a year. It's been in print since 1959 for a reason.

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon — A short, visual, energizing book about creative influence and finding your voice. Read it when you're starting out, then read it again when you're stuck. It holds up.

Building Your Platform

Ghost — The platform we're built on, and the one we recommend for any creative who wants to own their content. Open-source, fast, beautiful, and designed specifically for writers and publishers. Built-in newsletter functionality means you don't need a separate email tool.

Carrd — If you need a simple personal website quickly, Carrd lets you build a clean, single-page site in under an hour. The free tier works fine; the Pro plan at $19/year unlocks custom domains and forms.

Google Fonts — Thousands of free, high-quality typefaces with commercial-use licenses. Essential for any web project. Pair it with Font Squirrel for additional options.

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This page is updated regularly as we discover new tools and retire old recommendations. Last updated: March 2024. If there's a tool you think belongs here, let us know.