When you are a creator you are bound to have collected a bunch of stuff over the years. I am assuming too that perhaps you may be a techie of some kind as well, as there does seem to be an overlap.

Often as creators we accumulate camera gear, tech pouches, backup drives, cables, and more.

Personally I am a deep techie, as in I have collected motion gaming controllers, various SSDs, mini pcs, gaming handhelds, webcams, and more. I found myself having too many duplicates, and while I do believe in having some redundancy (more on that later in this post). Most of the time we often tend to have too much of some tech.

Additionally, another factor of downsizing isn't necessarily having LESS stuff, but also getting more minimalist versions of tech.

For example my webcam currently is the elgato facecam pro, which to be quite frank is huge. It is basically a dslr size, but rotated on its side if you will. It never really bothered me before. However after thinking about how I would travel with it, pack it, or even use it at perhaps like conferences. I realized it was far too big.

Alternatively, the OBSbot Meet / Meet 4k are cameras that are only a couple/few inches on the sides. Something that would be extremely easy to move around, and has basically the same video quality.

The point of me sharing this idea, is because I wanted you to think about what sort of equipment you use. How much space it uses up, and whether or not it NEEDS to use that much space for your purposes.

Why should you downsize?

All in all, this is purely your choice, and I simply wanted to expose the idea to you. If you are happy with what you have, then more power to you. However I have met plenty of creators, especially the tech creators, who have more tech than they know what to do with.

While you could sell some stuff, I might also suggest trading/bartering, as you can often trade up if you make the right kind of deal. Being able to continuously upgrade, or simply get your hands on the new tech that you want to try; Is a major reason why downsizing or letting go your wares, that I thought was worth mentioning.

I felt like I didn't use my Xbox Series X very much, and while I still wanted to game. I was able to trade it for a Lenovo Legion Go, which is much more usable for me, and it is portable.

If you ever want to move, one of my motivations mind you, then you do not want to have to pack up so much stuff. If you intend to move within the next year or two, then I suggest downsizing immediately. Even if you regain the stuff back after you move. Another factor is that of space, and if you are living in an apartment, or smaller office. Having too many things will weigh you down.

Minimalism is a philosophy I've always clung to, as it helps clear your mind. The more stuff you have, particularly on your desk, then the more clouded/busy your mind becomes.

How it will make your life easier, and how to go about doing it?

One example I want to share is let's say I have 12 pieces of tech of varying sizes. I need an organization box/pouch/case/etc to keep everything organized and safe.

Now box A can fit 4-5 pieces of tech, box B can fit 3, but box C can fit 10. However the box C takes up way too much space. The same can go for drawers, as I know a lot of creators use that Ikea product with the drawers.

If I were to say to get a new box, in my case I got the tomtoc tech pouch, then it can hold 9 pieces of tech. Now the numbers are random, but I wanted to paint the picture of how does one choose what to put their stuff into?

Do you need that tech at home on your desk, or in your EDC - Every Day Carry personal item bag?

By decreasing the amount of tech you have, then that "Box C" is no longer needed. The large organizer isn't needed anymore, you can use a more portable pouch, or you can use a couple smaller organizers. Saving you desk space real estate, or side table, whatever you use to store things.

It also decreases the visual clutter, which in turn helps your mind be more clear.

What are some ways you can downsize?

Donating your old tech, like webcams or microphones to up and coming creators. I gave one of my old microphones to my mother for example as she wanted to get into podcasting.

You could throw tech up for sale on FB marketplace, or maybe NextDoor (haven't had much luck there for me). Some seasons like right now in Spring, the sales are slow, but in other times of year I sell a lot.

If it is really valuable then you could consider Ebay, but that is more work too!

If you have a bunch of old drives lying around, then consider turning them into a NAS or backup workstation.

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Something I wanted to mention earlier, is that I think it is wise to have a backup mini pc for your work. Since we are working online, then it is imperative to stay connected. One point my main pc had a major failure, and I was without any PC for a while. I now keep a few backups, that take up very little space. I.e. Intel NUC or Compute Stick.

Takeaways for the Minimalist Creator

In the end the only person who can make this choice is you. If you're happy living a more maximalist life, then that is all you. I know someone who actually wants to keep their old tech around, so that they have a museum of sorts. A unique idea, and I respect it!

Though personally I do not want to be weighed down by physical belongings, possessions, and material things. I grew up learning a lot about Buddhism, and that left a mindset I think.

You never know when an opportunity may arise for you to travel or move, and you do not want your belongings to be a barrier to that opportunity!