Note: This is a guest post from Kristoffer Carter of This Epic Life.
How much of our creativity is in our hands versus in our tools?
This question comes up for me more and more often as my arsenal of music gear gets intentionally downsized or pushed out of the house by more kids.
I am a former touring bassist, and now Dad and kriya yogi. Music gear has always been important to me. But meditation forces me to examine and pare down undesirable habits and unnecessary material goods. As a musician, my fear can sometimes be: “…but what if this guitar (or pedal) has my signature tone in it?”
On our best days we remember that our tone, our art, our work resides in us—in our hands, not in our tools.
Tools are important. They are a means of getting the job done. And certainly some jobs require more tools for specialized functions. (NASCAR pit mechanics & painters come to mind.)
But artists can become overly-reliant on their tools. Tennis players and golfers fidget with different rackets or clubs. Photographers believe the next lens will magically improve their photographs. And musicians are famous for masking insufficient talent beneath a mountain of gear.
But the best musicians I’ve ever played with can sound like themselves on any instrument. Their tone shines through from their soul because they have honed their craft.
He’s not a friend yet, but let’s consider U2’s The Edge.
In terms of playing style he’s incredibly minimal, yet also one of the most respected and successful guitarists in history. His parts are memorable because he uses just a few choice notes with layered effects.
In the documentary It Might Get Loud, Edge’s style is contrasted with other musicians.
In the opening scene you see Jack White welding together a ramshackle guitar. In the next, you have The Edge standing in a room with hundreds of pristine guitars, amps, and processors. Both are living legends, but they have very different approaches to how they leverage their tools in creating their art.
During one show in Barcelona during U2’s massive 360 tour, The Edge used 21 guitars and 4 amps for 24 songs.
But both he and his guitar tech credit only 1 amp as “the basis for his sound.” (It’s a 1964 Vox AC30 for any of you gearheads.)
What does Dallas Schoo, The Edge’s guitar tech for nearly 30 years, say is the true differentiator? “The Vox AC30 is the basis of Edge’s sound. Live, and in the studio—well, aside from what’s in his head and his hands, and the magic he brings to what he does.”
Pretty interesting, coming from the most tenured guitar tech for the largest touring production in history.
Edge, in the book “U2 at the End of the World” had a remarkable quote. It’s at the heart of what I feel so many creatives miss:
Notes actually do mean something. They have power. I think of notes as being expensive. You just don’t throw them around. I try to find the one’s that do the best job, and that’s what I use. I suppose I’m a minimalist instinctively. I don’t like to be inefficient if I can get away with it.
The stats, and his quote speak to the paradox that exists for many of us minimalist creatives.
Although he’s minimalist in notes, The Edge can’t cut corners on a multimillion-dollar show where people are paying thousands of dollars for some seats.
So how do we know when tools are improving our work, or when they are making us more inefficient instead?
As artists, we need to keep the quality of our work at the core of what we offer, and not the tools we use to get the job done.
Whenever a project makes me think I need more gear, I start mindlessly scrolling through Amazon or eBay for deals. I regain focus by asking myself a rather painful question:
“Am I shopping for more gear, or a better performance?”
Marketers love to hammer our pain points, then politely offer to hold our wallet while we writhe in our inadequacy.
It is not a marketer’s job to care about the quality of our work. They just want to sell us more tools.
It’s our job to care about our work, our art, or our tennis game. You want to become great, and develop a signature style? Find a few tools that are ergonomically correct, then start pursuing mastery—not in the pursuit of more gear, but in the honing of your craft.
Life and art rarely benefit from layering on more complexity.
As an aspiring writer I’ve stacked far too many empty moleskins in every corner of my house. That was, until I heard this lyric from Paul Simon in his song Hurricane Eye:
You want to be a writer? Don’t know how, or when? Find a quiet place, use a humble pen.
I can see now how trimming back the distractions and focusing on my craft has led to creating the art I always dreamed of. No new piece of gear or collection of fancy pens was going to ship my work. That was my job.
To focus on choosing better work over more tools, I have begun to embrace the following principles when it comes to my art:
1. Instead of choosing more tools, choose yourself. (tweet that)
2. Instead of investing money in the promise of better output, invest time, focus, and patience in creating your best impact. In my music, marriage, speaking career, distance running, and especially in my meditation practice I realize there are no shortcuts.
3. Tools can sometimes hack proficiency, but you can’t hack mastery. Period. There’s only showing up, and trying our best to do good work. Day after day, year after year.
4. Keep it stealth. Fill both sides of every page before upgrading your journal. Travel light to your writing retreats, trying to recapture simpler days before we had to stop constantly to recharge something. Don’t bail on a tool at the first sight of frustration, push through it. You may need a new tool, but maybe you just need to walk through the valley before reaching the mountaintop.
5. Whenever you find yourself needing an upgrade, ask: Do I really need more tools, or do I need more time to hone my craft? It’s important to address the root cause, instead of adding more complexity that will only delay the impact you’re trying to achieve.
6. Pare down to the essentials. Which of your basic tools create your most high-leverage output? There are some phenomenal photographers and cinematographers out there using only smart phones. Laptops may be our window to the universe, but a decent pen and a single moleskin can pull something distinctly more human out of us.
A true practitioner of yoga needs only a relatively quiet place to seek The Divine. Similarly, the artist in each of us may be desperately calling out for more space, not more gear.
***
Kristoffer Carter (“kc”) inspires visionary leaders to create their deepest possible impact through his work with This Epic Life. This week he launches Your Signature Impact.
Alexander says
As a hobby musician with
g(ear)
a(quisation)
s(yndrom)
you’ve really nailed it for me. Although I’m trying the minimalist approach I’m stuck in the optimising loop. If I can sell this than I can buy that to optimise the minimal setup. Totally stupid thoughts that distract me from the real creation process but hard to get rid of.
robert hildreth says
Some of the best bands I see often show up with very little, or really crappy gear and proceed to blow doors out. Diakaiju played in my town not long ago and pulled what looked like junk out of their van. No PA, just drums amps and guitars. It was the best show I have seen this year. These guys have been on the road for 20 years and do over 100 shows a year. A testament to your point.
Kristoffer Carter says
Hiiiii Alexxxander. hahaha. Brother’s been suffering from GAS for years. I feel you. My wife hates to see boxes show up from Sweetwater…amazing music supplier with raving fan service. That’s really what cured me of the gear thing. Realizing I can pick up my kid’s toy guitar and write the song I’m looking for, or using it to entertain company. No whammy bar necessary.
kc
Elizabeth MacLeod says
Put me in water, and I’m good to go…that’s my ‘go to’ place. Seems I find my core there. I think it’s why I just moved to live by the Sea. No more ‘tools’ for now. I have enough. Just a place to allow them to shine from within … mmm….
…and I must work hard at not letting Apple make me feel ‘obsolete’ ;) LOL … I admit it though… I love my MacBookPro! Makes me ‘feel’ like a minimalist with all my tools in that little thing I can cart around. And it is so efficient… it’s a good tool :)
That said, I also admit, my real work … my art and my writing…. that happened with a pen, paper… and often a bath tub!
Tools … really, what I need as you said above, is more time with my self… my core… and a good tool can enhance the whole thing and make it shine… but it all starts at home with me … and that’s what also makes me happy … :)
Deep bow …
Kristoffer Carter says
Loved this Elizabeth: “more time with my self… my core… and a good tool can enhance the whole thing and make it shine… but it all starts at home with me … ” Gonna let that lead me through the rest of my week. Namaste. Totally agree on the right computer machine. I’ve been blessed to have my company provide my machines, but looking for the most powerful, stealth gadget to impact the world has to be on the horizon. Less is more, darnit. :)
joanna says
I love the question do I need more tools or more time. absolutely agree and greatly enjoyed the musical examples. As a photo this is a huge battle that I have won by not buying more but learning how to use what I own.
Kristoffer Carter says
Love it Joanna. Thanks for checking out the article.
Daniel Aipa says
one of my all time ‘must do’ things is to travel with a pen and moleskin and write a book about my travels.
I can definitely relate to feeling like I need an update. I’ve had the same laptop since 2007 and my friends consistently tell me I need to upgrade. Instead, I need to focus on my time to hone my craft. Mahalo and Aloha!
Kristoffer Carter says
Hey Daniel, I’ve noticed how brilliant Apple is with their marketing strategy around “forced obsolescence”. Within a year, their last model looks dated. Then they have a billion brand evangelists telling us we look old school if our MacBook isn’t an Air.
Nobody will give us grief about the moleskins brother. :)
I wish you many volumes of travelogues.
kc
Julia says
Great food for thought. This brings to mind a friend who is constantly on the search for the next piece of gear to make him a better photographer. He has around $30k invested in equipment yet he still fails to make great images. Perhaps the desire to accumulate more tools is do with our own egos and the wish to look the part. Maybe we fall in love with the idea of buying the gear and believe that simply by owning it we will be better at our chosen activity? I recently sold my treadmill and other exercise equipment – I have 2 good legs and a lovely country road to walk along & a beach close by, I don’t need stuff to make me fitter or healthier.
Kristoffer Carter says
Hey Julia! Yeah, we all have friends like that. Sometimes it’s us… Smart of you to recognize not needing the exercise gear. It’s not what makes us fit. It sure can feel “good” to buy for a minute or two tho! I’m so “on watch” with giant things like that trying to make their way into our house these days. haha. I blame Becoming Minimalist.
Seems like all our family wants to drop their stuff off, and I say “move it along!”
:)
kc
Ties Morskate says
Impressive thoughts & article. Thank you
Kristoffer Carter says
Thanks a lot Ties.
EmeraldCityGirl says
VERY nice piece! Thank you!
My question, while rhetorical, begs an answer. How is it that Edge can call himself a minimalist while using 21 different guitars for 24 songs? Did he change his pants, too, in between notes? I’m having a hard time with his claim of being a minimalist, but do wholeheartedly agree with his idea of notes being expensive. Words are also. And I’ve thrown around too many here.
Thanks again! <3
joshua becker says
In direct answer to your question, The Edge used the term “minimalist” to refer to his music: “Notes actually do mean something. They have power. I think of notes as being expensive. You just don’t throw them around. I try to find the one’s that do the best job, and that’s what I use.”
The point of the illustration was that while The Edge does own (and use) a large collection of guitars during his performance, both he and his music tech point to his talent and one specific amp as the basis of his sound: “The Vox AC30 is the basis of Edge’s sound. Live, and in the studio—well, aside from what’s in his head and his hands, and the magic he brings to what he does.”
The art is not found in his collection of guitars, but in honing his talent.
Kristoffer Carter says
Hey EmeraldCityGirl, thanks for weighing in Joshua. Yeah, it’s because of the size and scale of their tours that The Edge really can’t afford to be a minimalist with his live gear. The demands of the job at that level truly require an arsenal of guitars for different songs, sounds, and probably to minimize the risk of breaking strings. Wild to think about!
However, in terms of artistry, he’s definitely a minimalist. Such an interesting duality! Thanks for reading.
kc
BrownVagabonder says
This is such a unique way of looking at minimalism and the stuff we have. I have an 8 year old MacBook, that I have been lamenting about replacing for months now. I don’t actually need to replace it – it works just fine. But the allure of a new sleek machine is too strong to ignore. I think to myself, if I had a faster, better laptop, maybe I would write more or read more or work harder. Of course, as your article pointed out, a pen and paper is all you need to write. Thank you!
Kristoffer Carter says
Hey there, thanks for reading the piece. It’s like I gave you $2K USD to read it, cuz that’s what we’re saving you from buying another MacBook. :)
Seriously, computers are tough. Sometimes they are so old and beat that they can slow us way down. But only you can answer that for yourself. If you’re looking for better work, or more time to write, the computer isn’t what’s going to do it.
That’s up to you. You got this. Much love, -kc
Judy says
Thank you for your post. I agree that if someone is truly talented, they can make just about anything work! Fancy “tools” aren’t really needed. :) If you’ve ever watched “The Blues Brothers” you know exactly what I am talking about! lol
Kristoffer Carter says
Points to Judy for the Blues Brothers reference! lol. “i need you….YOU…you.”
I once jammed with the drummer for the band Phish, who was using our drummer’s kit for a small club gig. The guy made those drums speak. It was incredible.
It’s totally in our hands. We need good quality tools, but the fewer the better. Much love
kc
Justin Reid says
Hi Kristoffer,
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this thought. As artists, it can be so easy to procrastinate the work we need to do in ourselves (deep introspection and thought), for superficial, hollow things (better tools)!
This message encourages me to trust the giftings that are inside me, and to exercise them with confidence in who God created me to be. Tools can be useful, but they are about 1% of the equation. The rest is us!
Thanks again,
Justin
Kristoffer Carter says
Hey Justin, really happy this resonated with you. Can tell you’re a spiritual cat (much like myself). The more we realize how singularly valuable we are, the less stuff we need to rock the house. :)
Read this quote today from my guru, and thought you’d dig it:
“Inspiration, creative power, and energy flow into you when you attune yourself to the Infinite Mind.” -Paramahansa Yogananda
:) -kc