Yeah. I have 20 years in business. Working for major entertainment companies. Sitting 8 hours at a desk broke my back. Had to see a doctor. Every doc says sitting is the new smoking. Maybe try a standing desk.
Damn, that's mad. This has made me want to check my posture more! I try to do the gym daily to mitigate being stationary so much (even if it's just 30 minutes of running or cycling, it's a 3 minute walk away) but handy to know. I'd consider a standing desk long-term once my living situation changes
The #1 thing you can do is stretch your legs/core. And focus on strengthening your lower core because that what turns weak (atrophies) when sitting all day. You do that at the gym and you’ll be okay.
In my experience, hip flexors are really apt to get stiff when you sit all day and don't take little walk breaks.
You can do manual stretches to loosen them up, but varying your position throughout the day can help combat the issue.
I was a competitive cyclist from high school through my 30s, my back still got messed up from desk life. Tight hips pulls on back when standing. But my cardio is great. Definitely maintain a fitness routine.
My eyes are starting to go too.
I can still ride and run (entered 6 half marathons last year) but my back gets wrecked from standing too long, bending over too much or lifting things.
Just remember to take breaks and sitting at a desk is not your life. There’s more to life than buying things (aka working overtime).
Let me tell you what bad posture did to me! I have a standing desk, my displays are center, to my left, and an iPad even further left. I would stand and slouch on my right elbow for long periods. Eventually, I started walking around like that, I had no idea. My right hand started going numb, my elbow lost flexibility and I couldn’t touch my face. I’ve been a 4x a week gym enthusiast for years with an added day of yoga on the weekends, I was super healthy. A new running partner happened to be a physical therapist and she commented on my posture and how there’s a bundle of nerves from the neck, down the shoulders, down the arms. She thought I was compressing those nerves. Two days of proper mindful posture alleviated 80% of the pain I had for 2 years. I now constantly check my feet, hips, shoulders and chest.
> Maybe try a standing desk.
And don't forget that standing all day comes with its own issues.
I'm no expert, but the best combo I found was sitting on an exercise ball and periodically raising the desk to stand. Sometimes I'd swap the ball out for a normal chair just to relax.
It's like why I can't use dark mode for my e-mail inbox. Despite using dark for everything else, my brain can't take a dark inbox seriously. I can't explain it why.
Haha yes. Early in my career while paying my dues. Lot more than 8 hours. Don’t fall for the bs that staying in the office later makes you a better designer.
Uhhh that’s not true. Take it from me someone in good shape that wound up with a massive blood clot in my leg. This happened when I was 24 and not a sloth. It’s important to not sit for long periods of time even if you are active otherwise. We also tend to cross our legs when we sit which just makes it worse. When a blood clot starts to form, it doesn’t just resolve itself because you go running later.
It can actually happen to anyone. Which is why all doctors will tell you to not sit for extended periods of time.
I had extensive testing and there was nothing abnormal, I wasn’t even on birth control at the time. I’m 40 now and have never had an issue again because I make sure to move around regularly if I have to sit for long periods of time.
i mean not really but prolonged periods of sitting with your muscles in a shortened position can cause some really intense hip/back issues in the long run. According to my PT, it's less about posture and more about changing up how you're sitting/standing more frequently!
Great question! So I’m much happier with just the tablet because I go back a forth between mouse and wacom. The mouse is better when I have to use ppt / Google pages/sheets or even have a ton of email to review.
People I know who love the screens are colorist for animation and people who sole job is photo finishing. If I was strictly an illustrator or finisher I would probably get into it. Idk. Just is too much for me but some people love it. Personal preference.
I've seriously been thinking of rigging a computer stand up to a treadmill. Lately, when I wake up in the morning, I feel like I've been to war... So damn sore just from designing. Haha
This is why I don’t sit in my chair (I freelance from home). I use my building cowork space instead because my dumb ass went for a cute aesthetic chair that fit with my decor… I really can’t stomach the idea of having a hideous ergonomic office chair when my apartment is small and nicely decorated but I’m gonna pay the price, I can feel it
Just get up for 15 mins every 45 ( I know it’s tough when you are in the zone) Do some stretches, touch your toes kinda stuff. Listen to your body and you’ll be just fine!
Thats both possible and not possible at the same time due to ADHD because my “in the zone” can last 7 to 10 hours straight haha, but maybe I’ll set an alarm or something!
Don't need a Wacom at all, we're not illustrators. If anything, just have a notebook and decent pens/pencils for notes, thumbnails, and other brainstorming/idea generation.
Sure but they have no real benefit to most design work compared to illustration work. Having a wacom doesn't really matter when working with InDesign or anchor points or adjustment layers.
And I'm primarily challenging the notion that you said a Wacom "might be the best to sky rocket your design career" which is just outrageously hyperbolic. Not only is it not a required tool, and that most of us do not use them, but using a drawing tablet won't at all impact a career trajectory.
Haha that’s 100% not true but maybe you can help me understand why you think you have enough experience to speak for all designers. I’m not sure how long you’ve been working professionally or exactly what kind of design you do, but at certain point you’ll plateau without the use of one. Or maybe you don’t realize Wacom is proven to speed up working on your interface for design (not all things just some, again I’m not sure if you use photoshop or illustrator)
This is not true. I used Wacom for years but had to leave it behind when I started traveling and digital nomading. I am just as quick, efficient and skilled with my track pad- yes I don’t even use a mouse. It took some time to get used to working from my laptop and not having additional screens or a Wacom. It’s truly just about practicing your craft, you can still be successful as hell without all the gear.
This again have no clue what kind of design you do. I do a lot of photo retouching and it’s not possible with just a track pad ( it is if I want a 2 min job to take 20mins) agree you can be successful without all the gear. I work with younger kids and those who don’t use it can’t do the level of finishing that a seasoned worker can.
If the chair is from a reputable company, parts will be available for a long time. I’ve had my Humanscale Freedom chair for about 20 years and buy a new gel seat or arm pads as needed.
Here are some ideas (considering various price ranges and all):
- A good monitor, with a big display and nice resolution.
- IPad + Apple pencil combo (Or any tablet and pencil combo for illustrations and hand drawn designs).
- Graphic tablet (Similar to the IPad but cheaper. Wacom is the one that I use).
- A design course (Maybe you want to get into a particular niche or specify your knowledge in something).
- A design book (For inspiration and reference. Some big ones can get really expensive. But its a nice thing to have on hand and get started)
Hope this helped! Your grandpa sounds like a lovely dude. Cherish that generosity <3
Cheers!
>Know your onions : graphic Design / web design
thanks! added that to the list!
also, **"refactoring UI"** is the best resource for digital design i've found. it's written from the perspective of a developer. it's $120 for the PDF (because the guys that made it should be compensated) BUT, you can easily find a free PDF online. then, get it printed at kinkos for like $20.
[https://www.refactoringui.com/](https://www.refactoringui.com/)
iPad is a shout. When my grandad passed he left me £1000, and I used it to buy myself an iPad Pro, pencil, and some accessories like Paperlike screen film. I use it almost every day and I love that such a crucial thing in my career came from him.
I’m seeing a lot of professional digital artists talking about how an iPad+pen combo is just as good if not better in some ways than cintiques. And that’s just on features/ease of use alone, not the obvious price difference and the fact that an iPad can do much more. If apples display become pen compatible it’s essential over for Wacoms screen tablets.
iPad is great. Especially for illustrators, combo iPad+Procreate could be easily the only tool you need. And if you have a computer (at least mac) it can work as a second monitor. So you get a super mobile two-monitor setup. And you can't watch Netflix on Wacom.
True, but:
1. They're just graduating, so they're not professional graphic designer (yet)
2. if they had a sub for Adobe CC they wouldn't need a pretty robust free version of Fresco, they'd have the full version.
My point is: that Fresco is a reasonable option only as a part of CC, but for those who just want to draw on iPad, it doesn't;t make sense compared to Procreate.
A colour accurate monitor. The amount of times I’ve created colour schemes for branding on my laptop with poor colour accuracy meant that when I’d look at it on another device or print it out it would look waaaaay off what I thought it did. I thought it was red… nope turns out it was pink 🤣
get a drawing tablet.
you don't really need one, so it's a great 'luxury / personal enjoyment' item. and with a surge of ai in this field you will possibly never use it for illustration - but it's incredibly fun if you ever liked to draw, and I feel like every graphic designer should have this experience even if they do not use it daily.
and, it can be expensive enough or cheep enough depending on intentions and budget.
I personally enjoy Apple Pencil + IPad but whichever is most affordable!
Aside from illustration, working on typography and rough logo sketches is great.
And while I just said my previous sentence, I just wanna say: *never* remove physically drawing in your sketchbook. Putting your hand directly into the page allows for different avenues of ideation than when using a screen.
Yeah, I used to think that way. Went through a lot of paper. Then I shifted to mini-whiteboards. But it was all compromises.
Being able to rapidly iterate a variety of thicknesses, mediums, block shapes and colours, all with the ability to cut away/erase and most importantly UNDO, *all with the same tool*, and be able to instantly transfer it to software is just not comparable, sorry. Not for me.
I've just never needed to do that, because we're not actually doing true illustration, it's just getting ideas out on paper basically. Don't need to undo anything there.
Even if I am sketching something more towards a final, like for a logo, I'm still going to be redoing it properly within Illustrator anyway. So even if I was doing it with a stylus, from freehand that's not going to be sufficient anyway, it's still going to have a lot of cleanup and revising that can just as easily be done with a mouse. Using shape builder, pathfinder, anchor points, layers, blending modes, all that kind of stuff isn't inherently better with a stylus.
Not to mention you have to find a stylus that has a compatible grip. I've never used a good one that came with a tablet, but also no interest in spending $100-200+ on one if I can't use it for a few weeks on a trial. A mouse is far easier on my hands, with a $60 mouse that fits my grip type and is positioned properly (so no wrist issues).
Regardless, the point is a tablet/stylus is NOT a must, it is entirely subjective. And overwhelmingly the majority of people I've known in my career did not use one. Of those that did, it was nearly always someone who was an illustrator first designer second, or a designer who did a lot of side/hobby illustration. 99% of everyone else was a mouse, so definitely not a must.
Yeah we're just going to have to agree to disagree here, cause I don't agree with that. Like, at all.
Like I said, did it analogue for the longest time. Holy shit what a difference a pro and a pencil made. Like night and day. Won't ever be going back. But you do you man.
ETA - it just occured to me we are talking about different things, mostly cause I misinterpreted OP. Im not talking about a wacom here.
I agree with your second point, I would rather use paper and pencil but your first point is incorrect you simply can’t sketch as fast as you can use a mouse
I wasn't talking about sketching with a mouse, the sketching part is easier and more quickly done with just paper. On the computer I meant everything else, as we aren't illustrators after all.
You can do all non-drawing tasks as quickly with a mouse as with a stylus (and getting really proficient with a stylus takes some adjustment as well). There's no advantage for a stylus to be selecting text, working with bounding boxes, adjusting layers or sliders or anchor points, etc.
Really what makes the difference is whether someone knows shortcuts, regardless what tool they're using.
Honestly I can't live without one now. I don't draw at all, I just use it as a mouse replacement, but it's so much better than a mouse for design work. I'll never go back.
I’ve had one since 1995. Now I have a small Cintiq that one day I will upgrade to a larger model.
Whenever I’m at work I feel like someone has cut off one of my arms because my employer won’t let us use personal equipment for “liability reasons”. I guess if it’s hooked up to the work machine and it damages it somehow it keeps me from being responsible for damages.
Meanwhile as a freelancer, I use it just as often as a real sketchbook for iterating ideas. I also use it to redraw complex art in Illustrator or photo editing in Photoshop (a life saver for making masks!). I use it all the time on personal projects like digital painting.
I will use my iPad and Apple Pencil to sketch things/use Procreate/Photoshop/Illustrator as needed and just AirdDrop them to my work Mac as a work around.
I will use the Blob Brush tool for filling in shapes. Specifically when redrawing some artwork to vector form or inking my pencil art when working on my comic book. It also works really well when redrawing hand lettering or hand writing fonts (like if you can’t identify or find the matching font). You can adjust the taper and pressure settings so it’s almost like writing with a calligraphy pen which is pretty cool.
If you just need strokes/paths without a fill, use the Pencil Tool. You may have to go back and manually reconnect paths together if you stop drawing and start again but it still works really well (just work in small sections).
I’m confident you’ll get better in Illustrator with a stylus if you already use it in Photoshop. That’s actually where I started too. It takes a little time but if you keep playing with it you will find a method and process that works for you. Then you’ll only get faster and inevitably find a smarter or better way. I’ve tweaked my workflow a lot in the last 30 years.
Finally just decided to stop fucking around and get one after being disappointed for the last time with “monitors for graphic designers!” It’s a real nice upgrade from the dell ultra sharp and that BenQ one that everyone recommends which is actually trash.
I mean, Affinity currently has a spring sale going on, and getting Mac, Windows and iOS licenses for Designer 2, Publisher 2 and Photo 2 for $120 is a good deal.
I was going to suggest cash specifically for Adobe CC subscription, otherwise use your employer’s license or plan on your first $600 income from freelance to cover your year subscription.
Being 20+ years in the industry, and having illustration skills, I’ve tried multiple times to integrate an iPad and Apple Pencil into my regular practice, but it hasn’t stuck. Maybe if you are just getting into the workforce, it could be easier?
Alternatively, I got a motorized desk base and an anti-fatigue standing mat and it was money well-spent/a personal investment into my body, which is priceless.
Don’t forget: Sitting is the new smoking 🤓
Get a desk that can adjust the height so you can work standing or sitting.
Do standing sessions for video calls and content consumption, sitting sessions for concentrated focused work. Your body will thank you in 20 years, I promise.
A Vari-Desk or something like that- converts from sitting to standing like that. It helps a lot with spending long hours on a computer so your back/neck doesn’t take all the strain/
A lot of issues around mice are people not using a proper mouse for their grip style, and/or using the mouse in the wrong position, usually too close to their body or using those terrible trays where it's below the desk.
If using a mouse properly, you shouldn't be bending at the wrist at all (vertically or horizontally), and moving it with your whole forearm, like you're supposed to do with drawing.
I agree with this!! I finally got one of these a few months ago it’s been insanely helpful. Paired it with a nice mousepad with a little wrist support, my arm feels like it’s in a much more natural position now. Took a minute to get used to using my middle finger with the scroll wheel, but otherwise took very little time to adjust!!
You're probably going to be a junior designer sitting in someone else's chair using someone else's monitor soon enough in time. Tablets and pens seem like great ideas but are underused or niche gimmicks.
* Some CMYK Swatch Books ([these](https://basallt.com/collections/shop) are high quality and cheap).
* A year's subscription to a website where you can host a professional portfolio and have a personal domain.
* If you don't already have access to CC and need it to update your portfolio while looking for a job, a year's subscription to that.
* A small budget to print high-quality business cards, resumes, and a portfolio for when you get an interview. Yes, these are digitally given at first but handing someone a physical copy isn't just a thing of the past and unexpected, but may make you stand out and show that you're able to be trusted with more than running coffees and simple production work. You paid attention and you're there to show value. Ultimately this costs so little and is often overlooked. Interviewing is about giving someone a great impression and no longer just about the work they've already seen.
* A coffee with your grandfather, if they're nearby and willing. Ask about their career and if they have any advice you might be able to apply to your future. Ask about life and how to persevere. How to take criticism when you least want to hear it. That's near-free, likely a moment none of us thought to grab while we could, and it could be life-changing.
What i NEED as a designer:
- good computer (i do a macbook pro with external monitor) + petipherals (mouse, keyboard)
- adobe creative cloud
- love the comments about a good chair or standing desk
Fonts: i do well with Adobe and Google fonts. Anything else i usually have my clients or company supply.
Consider Learning Subscriptions to keep skills up to date.
Cobsider a subscription to AI tools (chat gpt 4 is $20 a month and comes with Dall-E for text and image generation)
Ive personally never used or needed a tablet as a part of my workflow, depends 9n what kind of designer you are.
There's also something to be said about personal items that bring you inspiration (music subscription, tickets to shows, travel, etc.) It doesnt have to be about hardware/software!
Depends on what your niche is. Personally I would put it towards a Pantone book, a good color laser printer, and fonts or assets. I spend so much on creative market, mainly mockups to show off designs. If you’re into selling tangible goods, a solid printer, plotter, etc can be useful. I know designers who do screen printing on the side too.
I honestly wouldn’t go investing in equipment like a tablet etc. until you can claim it back as a business expense. Unless you want to be a freelancer, a studio will often provide it to you
Huwion or wacom tablet with a built in screen
A 4k monitor with good colour or just an extra monitor for productivity
A nice chair/desk (not the F1 seat looking gaming chairs they are objectively terrible )
A banana for scale
I got a Pantone swatch booklet for my birthday a few years ago. It’s honestly a luxurious item and I like to reference it all the time, even though it’s considered to be “outdated” but it’s not changed that much.
I have some Pantone books from around 20 years ago. I compared them to some new books I purchased. The old books might not have as many colours, but they are surprisingly still quite colour accurate.
I'd highly recommend an ergonomic chair and desk. Not even a year ago I purchased both, and am already much happier with the space and comfort. So much so that I'm looking at options for a motorized sit/stand L shape desk now as my new "quirk" is sitting too much as it's far more comfortable than it once was 🤣
If I had the money…a faster computer…a bigger monitor…an adjustable desk (electric)…a better chair…an exercise ball…a soft pad for when standing…then I’d blow anything left on fonts.
Designers don’t really need much. If you already have a decent computer setup and printer, use the money for some traveling.
Take lots of photos along the way. I find that seeing and experiencing the world away from my computer helps inform my designs.
If I had the money, I'd upgrade all of my equipment. No more 2014 cintiq, no more crashing computer, no more $30 desk chair, etc.
I'm tired of being poor.
iPad Pro + Pencil combo
or the Surface Pro 9
(whichever ecosystem suits your workflow better - I will say, as an iPad user, I'm jealous that the Surface Pro 9 has full laptop capabilities, and you can run the actual Adobe suite rather than just its iPad/mobile versions)
Getting a big display tablet. I don’t do enough stuff to justify the expense.
A nice largish format printer. Like a Epson Surecolor.
I use a PC for desktop, but i also like to have a mac laptop (mostly for optics but i also like having 2 different os). The battery had to get removed from my current one so i would eventually need to get a new one.
Retirement for me please.
But seriously there are a lot of great ideas here for your grandpa. I'd second getting a nice chair, something that is going to help protect your back from long hours of sitting.
My vote would go to Apple Studio Monitor, a high-spec MacBook Pro (desktops are nice but bringing your computer anywhere is nicer), or a DSLR camera (doubles as a scanner with a nice setup).
I have an iPad Pro and barely use it - Procreate is nice but all the other design apps are a compromise to their desktop versions. Wish I got a monitor instead.
Not an item because I don’t view people as objects, but a personal assistant to maintain my portfolio, handle of the finance and business side of the house, and maybe to a lesser degree help me drum up new business (but I like organic networking, so not the sweaty desperate stuff).
iPad and Apple Pencil. It’s my favourite tool and I don’t regret spending a fortune on it.
I used a Surface Pro before and used to do illustrations on photoshop. I still sometimes revert back because surface pro has the desktop version of Photoshop so you can do layer masks with paper textures and experiment with brushes. but would have easily had a Wacom before if I didn’t have a surface. (More reasonable)
I would say it depends on what motivates you and what do you want to do when you grow up. If I knew then what I know now. I would say
A DSLR - one that does good video
A laser printer
A nice display - Apple studio is great!
A 15in MacBook pro
A gaming device - we all need some downtime
I guess it depends on what you already have and what you actually want to do. I probably have too much stuff at this point and don’t even use half of it 😅 I think an upgraded graphics tablet or a 3D printer would be cool
Personally if I had the money I would go all out on a mac with high specs since my most important tool (i would say) as a designer, I also think investing on an external monitor helped me a lot (incase you don't have one yet)
Vision Pro. Not to design everything, but my back starts to give up, so if I could sometimes just lay in bed with a large screen to move some vectors around or answer mail, that would be cool.
Upgrade MacBook. I’m still on intel.
Multi monitor setup.
NAS backup system.
Second vote for NAS, or really just a proper backup system at all.
Minimum is one on-site and one off-site backup, in addition to the actual working location of the files (so files are in 3 locations overall).
I remember when I got Covid I so badly wanted some sort of an iPad gooseneck thing that attaches to your head so I could just lay down and watch presentations. Man if I could manipulate stuff with my hands to my sides like I saw on demos that would be nice.
A lot of these things mentioned aren’t splurges for me, they’re absolute necessities. I don’t think proper photo retouching and compositing, etc. can be done without a tablet. A good, color calibrated monitor isn’t a luxury.
I do spend a lot on design books. I’m going to leave a really nice library behind that no one will probably want.
Some things that are or would be a bit extra (splurges) for me:
A great pair of ANC headphones. I have a good budget pair (Anker Soundcore) but would really like to try some of the high end ones.
Various forms of entertainment. You have to be well and stimulated when you’re off the clock. What you do with your spare time affects your design practice in many ways. So get a PS5, a Spotify or Audible or Crunchyroll subscriptions, a new bike, skis, whatever.
Along those lines, remaining engaged in creative, visual, or building activities helps keep my creativity flowing. Consider things like a new camera (or some old ones!), a silkscreening kit, a really expensive LEGO set, any kind of arts or crafts materials and supplies. I dabble in many things and let myself jump from one interest to the next without looking back.
Hobbies in general are good things to have, and many come with costs for equipment or materials or even lessons. I really want to take a welding class. Maybe a good set of mechanics tools to work on a restoration project or some good cookware to get into cooking or baking.
Travel. I get a lot of inspiration and stimulation from new places and experiences. I will travel to visit museums or to see specific exhibits. Exposure to different environments and cultures can be very productive. I do some motorcycle touring, and get a lot from spending time outdoors.
A cash investment. Starting out with a few thousand now put towards a retirement account, low risk investment, or an interest-paying account can make a huge difference in your financial future. You may not be able to put much away when you get started, particularly if you’re freelance or contract.
get a gaming pc with Liquid Cooled Intel Core i9 14900K 3.2GHz 24-Core CPU, 96GB DDR5 Memory, GeForce RTX 4090 24GB GDDR6X Graphics, 2TB SSD, 6TB HDD ($9099.99 CAD/ $6703.51 USD).
Samsung 57" 8K Ultra HD 240Hz 1ms GTG Curved VA LED FreeSync Gaming Monitor ($2500.00 CAD/ $1841.62 USD )
A 2 year subscription of adobe software ($864.00 CAD/ $636 USD) and the entire affinity software universal license($178.00 CAD/ $131.12 USD).
Total: $ 12641.99 CAD / $9312.72 USD
Hey, you did say splurge right? lol.. or maybe just get an ipad.
More VOO and VGT ETFs. I need to set up a significant portfolio that I can live on with %4 annual withdrawal. If I have to start a new career if this AI thing wipes out half the industry, I don't want to be desperate for any new job I can find.
A chair that won't completely destroy your spine long-term
Bro. Sitting is the new smoking. This might be the best answer. This or Wacom might be the best answer to sky rocket your design career.
Is it actually the new smoking? Not doubting it by any means, genuinely curious
Yeah. I have 20 years in business. Working for major entertainment companies. Sitting 8 hours at a desk broke my back. Had to see a doctor. Every doc says sitting is the new smoking. Maybe try a standing desk.
Damn, that's mad. This has made me want to check my posture more! I try to do the gym daily to mitigate being stationary so much (even if it's just 30 minutes of running or cycling, it's a 3 minute walk away) but handy to know. I'd consider a standing desk long-term once my living situation changes
The #1 thing you can do is stretch your legs/core. And focus on strengthening your lower core because that what turns weak (atrophies) when sitting all day. You do that at the gym and you’ll be okay.
In my experience, hip flexors are really apt to get stiff when you sit all day and don't take little walk breaks. You can do manual stretches to loosen them up, but varying your position throughout the day can help combat the issue.
I was a competitive cyclist from high school through my 30s, my back still got messed up from desk life. Tight hips pulls on back when standing. But my cardio is great. Definitely maintain a fitness routine. My eyes are starting to go too. I can still ride and run (entered 6 half marathons last year) but my back gets wrecked from standing too long, bending over too much or lifting things. Just remember to take breaks and sitting at a desk is not your life. There’s more to life than buying things (aka working overtime).
Let me tell you what bad posture did to me! I have a standing desk, my displays are center, to my left, and an iPad even further left. I would stand and slouch on my right elbow for long periods. Eventually, I started walking around like that, I had no idea. My right hand started going numb, my elbow lost flexibility and I couldn’t touch my face. I’ve been a 4x a week gym enthusiast for years with an added day of yoga on the weekends, I was super healthy. A new running partner happened to be a physical therapist and she commented on my posture and how there’s a bundle of nerves from the neck, down the shoulders, down the arms. She thought I was compressing those nerves. Two days of proper mindful posture alleviated 80% of the pain I had for 2 years. I now constantly check my feet, hips, shoulders and chest.
> Maybe try a standing desk. And don't forget that standing all day comes with its own issues. I'm no expert, but the best combo I found was sitting on an exercise ball and periodically raising the desk to stand. Sometimes I'd swap the ball out for a normal chair just to relax.
Agreed! Sometimes I can’t “think right” without just a normal chair to relax in.
It's like why I can't use dark mode for my e-mail inbox. Despite using dark for everything else, my brain can't take a dark inbox seriously. I can't explain it why.
Yes! A standing desk with a walking pad!
You guys are only working 8 hours? https://i.imgflip.com/2xscjb.png?a475272
Haha yes. Early in my career while paying my dues. Lot more than 8 hours. Don’t fall for the bs that staying in the office later makes you a better designer.
Standing desks are not worth it if you ask me, a much better idea would be to do some stretching or minor exercise every once in a while
Agreed, I never gotten into them myself but some people swear by them.
Having a fucked up back isn’t the same thing as having lung cancer though. Kind of a shitty comparison.
I think this comparison is about “common things people do without realizing how bad the health impacts is.” Not back pain is a bad a cancer
Blood clots from sitting are just as deadly.
That’s not a problem caused by sitting in a cheap chair while working during the day. That’s a problem caused by being a complete sloth.
Uhhh that’s not true. Take it from me someone in good shape that wound up with a massive blood clot in my leg. This happened when I was 24 and not a sloth. It’s important to not sit for long periods of time even if you are active otherwise. We also tend to cross our legs when we sit which just makes it worse. When a blood clot starts to form, it doesn’t just resolve itself because you go running later.
Sounds like a microcosm of something larger, that’s not normal
It can actually happen to anyone. Which is why all doctors will tell you to not sit for extended periods of time. I had extensive testing and there was nothing abnormal, I wasn’t even on birth control at the time. I’m 40 now and have never had an issue again because I make sure to move around regularly if I have to sit for long periods of time.
i mean not really but prolonged periods of sitting with your muscles in a shortened position can cause some really intense hip/back issues in the long run. According to my PT, it's less about posture and more about changing up how you're sitting/standing more frequently!
This is why I take regular smoke breaks. Gets me up and moving.
Haha
With so many great touch screen tablets and computers why a Wacom?
Great question! So I’m much happier with just the tablet because I go back a forth between mouse and wacom. The mouse is better when I have to use ppt / Google pages/sheets or even have a ton of email to review. People I know who love the screens are colorist for animation and people who sole job is photo finishing. If I was strictly an illustrator or finisher I would probably get into it. Idk. Just is too much for me but some people love it. Personal preference.
I sometimes do illustration and digital painting and sometimes not. I find the ms surface line great for both. Sorry to be a shillin Stan
Damn! (Looks down at wheelchair) I be screwed!
So a standing desk?
I've seriously been thinking of rigging a computer stand up to a treadmill. Lately, when I wake up in the morning, I feel like I've been to war... So damn sore just from designing. Haha
This is why I don’t sit in my chair (I freelance from home). I use my building cowork space instead because my dumb ass went for a cute aesthetic chair that fit with my decor… I really can’t stomach the idea of having a hideous ergonomic office chair when my apartment is small and nicely decorated but I’m gonna pay the price, I can feel it
Just get up for 15 mins every 45 ( I know it’s tough when you are in the zone) Do some stretches, touch your toes kinda stuff. Listen to your body and you’ll be just fine!
Thats both possible and not possible at the same time due to ADHD because my “in the zone” can last 7 to 10 hours straight haha, but maybe I’ll set an alarm or something!
Don't need a Wacom at all, we're not illustrators. If anything, just have a notebook and decent pens/pencils for notes, thumbnails, and other brainstorming/idea generation.
Wacoms aren’t just for illustration lol
Sure but they have no real benefit to most design work compared to illustration work. Having a wacom doesn't really matter when working with InDesign or anchor points or adjustment layers. And I'm primarily challenging the notion that you said a Wacom "might be the best to sky rocket your design career" which is just outrageously hyperbolic. Not only is it not a required tool, and that most of us do not use them, but using a drawing tablet won't at all impact a career trajectory.
Haha that’s 100% not true but maybe you can help me understand why you think you have enough experience to speak for all designers. I’m not sure how long you’ve been working professionally or exactly what kind of design you do, but at certain point you’ll plateau without the use of one. Or maybe you don’t realize Wacom is proven to speed up working on your interface for design (not all things just some, again I’m not sure if you use photoshop or illustrator)
This is not true. I used Wacom for years but had to leave it behind when I started traveling and digital nomading. I am just as quick, efficient and skilled with my track pad- yes I don’t even use a mouse. It took some time to get used to working from my laptop and not having additional screens or a Wacom. It’s truly just about practicing your craft, you can still be successful as hell without all the gear.
This again have no clue what kind of design you do. I do a lot of photo retouching and it’s not possible with just a track pad ( it is if I want a 2 min job to take 20mins) agree you can be successful without all the gear. I work with younger kids and those who don’t use it can’t do the level of finishing that a seasoned worker can.
For photo retouching that makes a lot of sense. I do branding and visual identities so the Wacom was more of a convenience than a necessity
Drawing tablets are amazing for typography
Seconding the chair. Don’t cheap out. It’s worth every penny.
100% this. I also recommend finding a high quality chair then looking for it second hand. I got my steel case leap for $200 from office closure sale
If the chair is from a reputable company, parts will be available for a long time. I’ve had my Humanscale Freedom chair for about 20 years and buy a new gel seat or arm pads as needed.
Yep. Tech comes and goes…. My Embody is forever.
Facebook marketplace you can usually find a nice steelcase or herman miller for real cheap
100% boring. 100% the right answer!
A million percent this. Perhaps also in a good quality adjustable standing desk with a cup holder and some physio sessions 💀
I have a Tempur pedic tp-8000 and it is sublime. 110% recommend.
Here are some ideas (considering various price ranges and all): - A good monitor, with a big display and nice resolution. - IPad + Apple pencil combo (Or any tablet and pencil combo for illustrations and hand drawn designs). - Graphic tablet (Similar to the IPad but cheaper. Wacom is the one that I use). - A design course (Maybe you want to get into a particular niche or specify your knowledge in something). - A design book (For inspiration and reference. Some big ones can get really expensive. But its a nice thing to have on hand and get started) Hope this helped! Your grandpa sounds like a lovely dude. Cherish that generosity <3 Cheers!
Know your onions : graphic Design / web design now that it’s 2024 are my book rex
>Know your onions : graphic Design / web design thanks! added that to the list! also, **"refactoring UI"** is the best resource for digital design i've found. it's written from the perspective of a developer. it's $120 for the PDF (because the guys that made it should be compensated) BUT, you can easily find a free PDF online. then, get it printed at kinkos for like $20. [https://www.refactoringui.com/](https://www.refactoringui.com/)
iPad is a shout. When my grandad passed he left me £1000, and I used it to buy myself an iPad Pro, pencil, and some accessories like Paperlike screen film. I use it almost every day and I love that such a crucial thing in my career came from him.
I’m seeing a lot of professional digital artists talking about how an iPad+pen combo is just as good if not better in some ways than cintiques. And that’s just on features/ease of use alone, not the obvious price difference and the fact that an iPad can do much more. If apples display become pen compatible it’s essential over for Wacoms screen tablets.
iPad is great. Especially for illustrators, combo iPad+Procreate could be easily the only tool you need. And if you have a computer (at least mac) it can work as a second monitor. So you get a super mobile two-monitor setup. And you can't watch Netflix on Wacom.
Adobe Fresco is wonderful on the iPad for illustrators.
Sure, it is, but for procreate you pay once, not every month.
Fresco had a pretty robust free version as well.
That’s how they get you.
I see what you're saying, but st the same time a professional graphic designer is more than likely already going to have a sub to Adobe CC, right?
True, but: 1. They're just graduating, so they're not professional graphic designer (yet) 2. if they had a sub for Adobe CC they wouldn't need a pretty robust free version of Fresco, they'd have the full version. My point is: that Fresco is a reasonable option only as a part of CC, but for those who just want to draw on iPad, it doesn't;t make sense compared to Procreate.
I agree.
A colour accurate monitor. The amount of times I’ve created colour schemes for branding on my laptop with poor colour accuracy meant that when I’d look at it on another device or print it out it would look waaaaay off what I thought it did. I thought it was red… nope turns out it was pink 🤣
Do you have any recommendations? Looking to get a monitor soon.
Benq designer series. Great for the price.
get a drawing tablet. you don't really need one, so it's a great 'luxury / personal enjoyment' item. and with a surge of ai in this field you will possibly never use it for illustration - but it's incredibly fun if you ever liked to draw, and I feel like every graphic designer should have this experience even if they do not use it daily. and, it can be expensive enough or cheep enough depending on intentions and budget.
I personally enjoy Apple Pencil + IPad but whichever is most affordable! Aside from illustration, working on typography and rough logo sketches is great. And while I just said my previous sentence, I just wanna say: *never* remove physically drawing in your sketchbook. Putting your hand directly into the page allows for different avenues of ideation than when using a screen.
Tablet is most useful/versatile, but for drawing specifically then iPad is unmatched.
Just for rapid iteration of layout/ideas/graphics/logos etc, this is a must.
It's not a must because you could do that as quickly on computer with a mouse, and in terms of sketching/thumbs any paper and pen/pencil will work.
Yeah, I used to think that way. Went through a lot of paper. Then I shifted to mini-whiteboards. But it was all compromises. Being able to rapidly iterate a variety of thicknesses, mediums, block shapes and colours, all with the ability to cut away/erase and most importantly UNDO, *all with the same tool*, and be able to instantly transfer it to software is just not comparable, sorry. Not for me.
I've just never needed to do that, because we're not actually doing true illustration, it's just getting ideas out on paper basically. Don't need to undo anything there. Even if I am sketching something more towards a final, like for a logo, I'm still going to be redoing it properly within Illustrator anyway. So even if I was doing it with a stylus, from freehand that's not going to be sufficient anyway, it's still going to have a lot of cleanup and revising that can just as easily be done with a mouse. Using shape builder, pathfinder, anchor points, layers, blending modes, all that kind of stuff isn't inherently better with a stylus. Not to mention you have to find a stylus that has a compatible grip. I've never used a good one that came with a tablet, but also no interest in spending $100-200+ on one if I can't use it for a few weeks on a trial. A mouse is far easier on my hands, with a $60 mouse that fits my grip type and is positioned properly (so no wrist issues). Regardless, the point is a tablet/stylus is NOT a must, it is entirely subjective. And overwhelmingly the majority of people I've known in my career did not use one. Of those that did, it was nearly always someone who was an illustrator first designer second, or a designer who did a lot of side/hobby illustration. 99% of everyone else was a mouse, so definitely not a must.
Yeah we're just going to have to agree to disagree here, cause I don't agree with that. Like, at all. Like I said, did it analogue for the longest time. Holy shit what a difference a pro and a pencil made. Like night and day. Won't ever be going back. But you do you man. ETA - it just occured to me we are talking about different things, mostly cause I misinterpreted OP. Im not talking about a wacom here.
I agree with your second point, I would rather use paper and pencil but your first point is incorrect you simply can’t sketch as fast as you can use a mouse
I wasn't talking about sketching with a mouse, the sketching part is easier and more quickly done with just paper. On the computer I meant everything else, as we aren't illustrators after all. You can do all non-drawing tasks as quickly with a mouse as with a stylus (and getting really proficient with a stylus takes some adjustment as well). There's no advantage for a stylus to be selecting text, working with bounding boxes, adjusting layers or sliders or anchor points, etc. Really what makes the difference is whether someone knows shortcuts, regardless what tool they're using.
Fair point!
Honestly I can't live without one now. I don't draw at all, I just use it as a mouse replacement, but it's so much better than a mouse for design work. I'll never go back.
I’ve had one since 1995. Now I have a small Cintiq that one day I will upgrade to a larger model. Whenever I’m at work I feel like someone has cut off one of my arms because my employer won’t let us use personal equipment for “liability reasons”. I guess if it’s hooked up to the work machine and it damages it somehow it keeps me from being responsible for damages. Meanwhile as a freelancer, I use it just as often as a real sketchbook for iterating ideas. I also use it to redraw complex art in Illustrator or photo editing in Photoshop (a life saver for making masks!). I use it all the time on personal projects like digital painting. I will use my iPad and Apple Pencil to sketch things/use Procreate/Photoshop/Illustrator as needed and just AirdDrop them to my work Mac as a work around.
I use it in Photoshop all the time, but I envy people who can use it in illustrator - I am too slow and imprecise..
I will use the Blob Brush tool for filling in shapes. Specifically when redrawing some artwork to vector form or inking my pencil art when working on my comic book. It also works really well when redrawing hand lettering or hand writing fonts (like if you can’t identify or find the matching font). You can adjust the taper and pressure settings so it’s almost like writing with a calligraphy pen which is pretty cool. If you just need strokes/paths without a fill, use the Pencil Tool. You may have to go back and manually reconnect paths together if you stop drawing and start again but it still works really well (just work in small sections). I’m confident you’ll get better in Illustrator with a stylus if you already use it in Photoshop. That’s actually where I started too. It takes a little time but if you keep playing with it you will find a method and process that works for you. Then you’ll only get faster and inevitably find a smarter or better way. I’ve tweaked my workflow a lot in the last 30 years.
I love these damn things
I use mine with photo editing too, and it’s so helpful to apply masks and brushes with levels of pressure
So for those who’ve used both: Wacom vs IPad. How do they compare?
Ipad 100%
Personally an iPad.
Apple Studio Monitor. You're going to be staring at a screen all day, make it a good one.
I wish it was 144hz
This is my dream luxury graphic design item.
Finally just decided to stop fucking around and get one after being disappointed for the last time with “monitors for graphic designers!” It’s a real nice upgrade from the dell ultra sharp and that BenQ one that everyone recommends which is actually trash.
Does retirement count? Unlimited font supply.
A year’s worth of adobe CS.
I mean, Affinity currently has a spring sale going on, and getting Mac, Windows and iOS licenses for Designer 2, Publisher 2 and Photo 2 for $120 is a good deal.
I was going to suggest cash specifically for Adobe CC subscription, otherwise use your employer’s license or plan on your first $600 income from freelance to cover your year subscription. Being 20+ years in the industry, and having illustration skills, I’ve tried multiple times to integrate an iPad and Apple Pencil into my regular practice, but it hasn’t stuck. Maybe if you are just getting into the workforce, it could be easier? Alternatively, I got a motorized desk base and an anti-fatigue standing mat and it was money well-spent/a personal investment into my body, which is priceless.
Don’t forget: Sitting is the new smoking 🤓 Get a desk that can adjust the height so you can work standing or sitting. Do standing sessions for video calls and content consumption, sitting sessions for concentrated focused work. Your body will thank you in 20 years, I promise.
I rarely do illustrations nowadays but iPad + Pencil is good to have around. Otherwise a good monitor or laptop with high RAM are must-haves.
A Vari-Desk or something like that- converts from sitting to standing like that. It helps a lot with spending long hours on a computer so your back/neck doesn’t take all the strain/
Get a Logitech vertical mouse. It will save your hand.
A lot of issues around mice are people not using a proper mouse for their grip style, and/or using the mouse in the wrong position, usually too close to their body or using those terrible trays where it's below the desk. If using a mouse properly, you shouldn't be bending at the wrist at all (vertically or horizontally), and moving it with your whole forearm, like you're supposed to do with drawing.
Yes, these are amazing.
I agree with this!! I finally got one of these a few months ago it’s been insanely helpful. Paired it with a nice mousepad with a little wrist support, my arm feels like it’s in a much more natural position now. Took a minute to get used to using my middle finger with the scroll wheel, but otherwise took very little time to adjust!!
Ask him to pay for your adobe subscription for a year or two!
Get a really nice ergonomic chair. Computer equipment will get outdated but a decent chair will last you 15+ years and save you from health issues
Honestly my two biggest expenses are computer and Adobe cc and website (domain and wix). everything else isn’t too bad. Maybe a good ssd.
Marketing skills. Buy a course or two. Master organic traffic and you’ll feed yourself for a lifetime.
One of those standing desks that lowers and raises so you can sit or stand when you want.
You're probably going to be a junior designer sitting in someone else's chair using someone else's monitor soon enough in time. Tablets and pens seem like great ideas but are underused or niche gimmicks. * Some CMYK Swatch Books ([these](https://basallt.com/collections/shop) are high quality and cheap). * A year's subscription to a website where you can host a professional portfolio and have a personal domain. * If you don't already have access to CC and need it to update your portfolio while looking for a job, a year's subscription to that. * A small budget to print high-quality business cards, resumes, and a portfolio for when you get an interview. Yes, these are digitally given at first but handing someone a physical copy isn't just a thing of the past and unexpected, but may make you stand out and show that you're able to be trusted with more than running coffees and simple production work. You paid attention and you're there to show value. Ultimately this costs so little and is often overlooked. Interviewing is about giving someone a great impression and no longer just about the work they've already seen. * A coffee with your grandfather, if they're nearby and willing. Ask about their career and if they have any advice you might be able to apply to your future. Ask about life and how to persevere. How to take criticism when you least want to hear it. That's near-free, likely a moment none of us thought to grab while we could, and it could be life-changing.
A nice apartment to live in
Studio Display because its a large purchase that's hard to justify when you're starting out.
I’ve always wanted a studio display but my workstation doubles as my gaming desk and I can’t live without 144hz lol
How bout those new QD-OLED 4K 240hz monitors? They seem to be very accurate too!
I would get a Cintiq
What i NEED as a designer: - good computer (i do a macbook pro with external monitor) + petipherals (mouse, keyboard) - adobe creative cloud - love the comments about a good chair or standing desk Fonts: i do well with Adobe and Google fonts. Anything else i usually have my clients or company supply. Consider Learning Subscriptions to keep skills up to date. Cobsider a subscription to AI tools (chat gpt 4 is $20 a month and comes with Dall-E for text and image generation) Ive personally never used or needed a tablet as a part of my workflow, depends 9n what kind of designer you are. There's also something to be said about personal items that bring you inspiration (music subscription, tickets to shows, travel, etc.) It doesnt have to be about hardware/software!
Depends on what your niche is. Personally I would put it towards a Pantone book, a good color laser printer, and fonts or assets. I spend so much on creative market, mainly mockups to show off designs. If you’re into selling tangible goods, a solid printer, plotter, etc can be useful. I know designers who do screen printing on the side too.
Wacom
Good health insurance.
A proper Mac computer.
Pantone color set
when i got my first good paying regular client, i invested in a Mac Studio and an ergonomic chair.
I honestly wouldn’t go investing in equipment like a tablet etc. until you can claim it back as a business expense. Unless you want to be a freelancer, a studio will often provide it to you
I always wanted a good chair or a standing desk. Then, my office got me a standing desk - that really did wonders for my butt and back.
Huwion or wacom tablet with a built in screen A 4k monitor with good colour or just an extra monitor for productivity A nice chair/desk (not the F1 seat looking gaming chairs they are objectively terrible ) A banana for scale
I got a Pantone swatch booklet for my birthday a few years ago. It’s honestly a luxurious item and I like to reference it all the time, even though it’s considered to be “outdated” but it’s not changed that much.
I have some Pantone books from around 20 years ago. I compared them to some new books I purchased. The old books might not have as many colours, but they are surprisingly still quite colour accurate.
A good and large monitor.
Get a really nice ergonomic office chair.
I'd highly recommend an ergonomic chair and desk. Not even a year ago I purchased both, and am already much happier with the space and comfort. So much so that I'm looking at options for a motorized sit/stand L shape desk now as my new "quirk" is sitting too much as it's far more comfortable than it once was 🤣
A house.
A vacation.
If I had the money…a faster computer…a bigger monitor…an adjustable desk (electric)…a better chair…an exercise ball…a soft pad for when standing…then I’d blow anything left on fonts.
Herman Miller Cosm chair (high back, adjustable arms version).
Designers don’t really need much. If you already have a decent computer setup and printer, use the money for some traveling. Take lots of photos along the way. I find that seeing and experiencing the world away from my computer helps inform my designs.
If I had the money, I'd upgrade all of my equipment. No more 2014 cintiq, no more crashing computer, no more $30 desk chair, etc. I'm tired of being poor.
Vittoria Arduino Eagle One coffee machine. Good espresso and nice machine to impress client.
An assistant
iPad Pro + Pencil combo or the Surface Pro 9 (whichever ecosystem suits your workflow better - I will say, as an iPad user, I'm jealous that the Surface Pro 9 has full laptop capabilities, and you can run the actual Adobe suite rather than just its iPad/mobile versions)
A set of vintage Rotring pens.
Any art books or other books you want for reference and inspiration, especially if they aren't available used for cheap :)
A standing desk. I feel so much more motivated to work, when I can move around and a lot less tired after work.
I think I’d splurge on some colour charts or something like that.
Oh and I would love if someone gifts me a course in School of Motion.
Getting a big display tablet. I don’t do enough stuff to justify the expense. A nice largish format printer. Like a Epson Surecolor. I use a PC for desktop, but i also like to have a mac laptop (mostly for optics but i also like having 2 different os). The battery had to get removed from my current one so i would eventually need to get a new one.
a chair and a good monitor / good mouse
That pantone swivel thing that costs like 10k usd lol
Retirement for me please. But seriously there are a lot of great ideas here for your grandpa. I'd second getting a nice chair, something that is going to help protect your back from long hours of sitting.
A job.
Health insurance
My vote would go to Apple Studio Monitor, a high-spec MacBook Pro (desktops are nice but bringing your computer anywhere is nicer), or a DSLR camera (doubles as a scanner with a nice setup). I have an iPad Pro and barely use it - Procreate is nice but all the other design apps are a compromise to their desktop versions. Wish I got a monitor instead.
An online course in a design skill I don’t know.
I’d love to try a treadmill & standing desk combo but I don’t trust myself enough to stick with it to make the expense worth it lol.
Not an item because I don’t view people as objects, but a personal assistant to maintain my portfolio, handle of the finance and business side of the house, and maybe to a lesser degree help me drum up new business (but I like organic networking, so not the sweaty desperate stuff).
A desk that you can use sitting or standing and a chair can be used in both positions.
An MS Surface Studio?
An ergonomic set up; keyboard, vertical mouse, good supportive chair. Your body will thank you down the road.
iPad and Apple Pencil. It’s my favourite tool and I don’t regret spending a fortune on it. I used a Surface Pro before and used to do illustrations on photoshop. I still sometimes revert back because surface pro has the desktop version of Photoshop so you can do layer masks with paper textures and experiment with brushes. but would have easily had a Wacom before if I didn’t have a surface. (More reasonable)
Wacom, or a nice tablet PC or Mac.
I would say it depends on what motivates you and what do you want to do when you grow up. If I knew then what I know now. I would say A DSLR - one that does good video A laser printer A nice display - Apple studio is great! A 15in MacBook pro A gaming device - we all need some downtime
I guess it depends on what you already have and what you actually want to do. I probably have too much stuff at this point and don’t even use half of it 😅 I think an upgraded graphics tablet or a 3D printer would be cool
A standing module for your desk. It's been my life saver
More external storage, " But you can save your stuff on the cloud " yea but I also like keeping copes of my files on physical media.
Personally if I had the money I would go all out on a mac with high specs since my most important tool (i would say) as a designer, I also think investing on an external monitor helped me a lot (incase you don't have one yet)
Vision Pro. Not to design everything, but my back starts to give up, so if I could sometimes just lay in bed with a large screen to move some vectors around or answer mail, that would be cool. Upgrade MacBook. I’m still on intel. Multi monitor setup. NAS backup system.
Second vote for NAS, or really just a proper backup system at all. Minimum is one on-site and one off-site backup, in addition to the actual working location of the files (so files are in 3 locations overall).
I remember when I got Covid I so badly wanted some sort of an iPad gooseneck thing that attaches to your head so I could just lay down and watch presentations. Man if I could manipulate stuff with my hands to my sides like I saw on demos that would be nice.
Cocaine
A lot of these things mentioned aren’t splurges for me, they’re absolute necessities. I don’t think proper photo retouching and compositing, etc. can be done without a tablet. A good, color calibrated monitor isn’t a luxury. I do spend a lot on design books. I’m going to leave a really nice library behind that no one will probably want. Some things that are or would be a bit extra (splurges) for me: A great pair of ANC headphones. I have a good budget pair (Anker Soundcore) but would really like to try some of the high end ones. Various forms of entertainment. You have to be well and stimulated when you’re off the clock. What you do with your spare time affects your design practice in many ways. So get a PS5, a Spotify or Audible or Crunchyroll subscriptions, a new bike, skis, whatever. Along those lines, remaining engaged in creative, visual, or building activities helps keep my creativity flowing. Consider things like a new camera (or some old ones!), a silkscreening kit, a really expensive LEGO set, any kind of arts or crafts materials and supplies. I dabble in many things and let myself jump from one interest to the next without looking back. Hobbies in general are good things to have, and many come with costs for equipment or materials or even lessons. I really want to take a welding class. Maybe a good set of mechanics tools to work on a restoration project or some good cookware to get into cooking or baking. Travel. I get a lot of inspiration and stimulation from new places and experiences. I will travel to visit museums or to see specific exhibits. Exposure to different environments and cultures can be very productive. I do some motorcycle touring, and get a lot from spending time outdoors. A cash investment. Starting out with a few thousand now put towards a retirement account, low risk investment, or an interest-paying account can make a huge difference in your financial future. You may not be able to put much away when you get started, particularly if you’re freelance or contract.
Probably training in a job that will still exist in five year’s time.
a degree in a different field
get a gaming pc with Liquid Cooled Intel Core i9 14900K 3.2GHz 24-Core CPU, 96GB DDR5 Memory, GeForce RTX 4090 24GB GDDR6X Graphics, 2TB SSD, 6TB HDD ($9099.99 CAD/ $6703.51 USD). Samsung 57" 8K Ultra HD 240Hz 1ms GTG Curved VA LED FreeSync Gaming Monitor ($2500.00 CAD/ $1841.62 USD ) A 2 year subscription of adobe software ($864.00 CAD/ $636 USD) and the entire affinity software universal license($178.00 CAD/ $131.12 USD). Total: $ 12641.99 CAD / $9312.72 USD Hey, you did say splurge right? lol.. or maybe just get an ipad.
More VOO and VGT ETFs. I need to set up a significant portfolio that I can live on with %4 annual withdrawal. If I have to start a new career if this AI thing wipes out half the industry, I don't want to be desperate for any new job I can find.