Guys – please know I rather dislike sharing my pessimistic thoughts here on this platform of positivity; but in these bleak COVID19 times, it’s safe to assume (out-loud) that we’ll probably be working from home for the rest of the year. In fact, I have a strong feeling A LOT is going to change when it comes to working from an outside office space, even once things resume back to the way they were.

Even though I’ve been working from home for 3 years PRIOR to the pandemic, I still enjoyed doing some of my work outside the home. Whether it be a coffee shop or in a studio space, content creators like myself thrive in changes of scenery. It helps to inspire ourselves and therefore, keep content fresh and purposeful. Take away the ability to break out of the house and work elsewhere – well, needless to say it’s extremely debilitating (if you haven’t noticed from my lack of monthly posts since March already..)

Working from home does have its advantages, no doubt about that. I understand how fortunate I am to be my own boss at such a young age & recognize the luxuries that come with creating my own schedule. But still, this time has been SO HARD for all of us, no matter what your career – this hits an emotional level us humans can all sympathize with.

Back to the idea that “working from home” will become norm in the upcoming years. For content creators right now – it’s really not that different than before, with the exception of losing photography/podcast recording/workspace studios to produce content within. Now that’s hard to do if you lack the resources/tools to do so from home. Recognizing such limitations, I turned to the Internet to help me find such gadgets that would help me produce the content I (sort of) used to create before, now from home.

FLAT LAY SET-UP

I came across these Replica Surfaces on a FB Ad and fell victim to purchasing instantly. One of my biggest struggles this Quarantine was finding the right backdrop for my images, without having to rearrange the whole apartment in order to do so. Not only did these boards arrive so quick, but they’re incredibly well-made. Extremely durable material and has a nice, wipe-clean touch on the surface.

I ended up purchasing 3 boards – Shiplap, All White, & White Marble. I’ll most likely be getting a few more down the road because I’m so impressed with them! Also – recommend making sure you get the Replica Stands so your boards can sit up-right together if you’re looking for that backdrop & backsplash combo in your pictures.

PORTABLE FILMING STATION

While ring lights are cool & helpful when filming content (esp for beauty tutorials), they can be a pain to carry around/manage due to its awkward shape. I came across this Smartphone Tripod with an attachable LED light on Amazon and honestly like using it so much better than my ring light. Its size makes it more portable, so I can set it up in way more locations than maneuvering the ring light’s giant stand to fit in a dedicated spot.

What I also like about this tripod is that the legs can be pushed together to become a handle, making it a great filming “selfie-stick” if you’re live-streaming or simply capturing content for later. Remember that most selfie sticks don’t come with an LED light, just saying..

PORTABLE VIDEOGRAPHER

Attention all you TikTok’ers & Fitness Content Creators especially – this is the gadget you’ve been NEEDING to capture every angle without adjusting each frame to do so! No more will you have to worry about staying in focus within the small confines of your phone frame – PIVO will make sure to follow your every move on its own, automatically! Pair your phone through the PIVO app and set the PIVO’s “eye” on the device in the direction you want it to start filming and you’re set. You can control more its settings/manually direct it through the remote as well.

The PIVO also comes with a Lightbox set-up, in case you ever need some additional LED lighting for filming! I should also mention that it took about a month for my PIVO to arrive from overseas, but I can assure you it’s totally worth the wait!

PHONE MICROPHONE

If you’re a live-streamer, Youtuber, Podcaster, IGTV human, or anything relating of the sort – you know how important it is to have crystal clear audio. It makes or breaks the content you’re capturing entirely, no questions asked. Given that most recording studios have closed its doors, it can definitely be tricky to capture clear audio from home – especially with more people making noise in the household.

What I like so much about this Lavalier Microphone is the fact that I can plug it into my phone and capture audio for IGTV/Live-Streams without having to stay super still or in a 4-walled sound-cancelling closet to avoid audio crackle. It comes with a lapel clip for the mic, just like they use in any televised filming situations as well as a mini Boom attachment to block any additional outside sounds while capturing audio. NOTE: This microphone is only compatible with iOS technology (iPhone, iPad, or iPod) – it won’t work for products without the iOS software i.e. Android, PC, DSLR Camera, etc.

I’m sure there’s plenty more gadgets & gizmos out there that can make working from home as a content creator who’s safe-at-home much easier. These are just the one’s I’ve personally used and found much success/delight in using during these times. If there’s something you’ve found that has made an impact on your WFH abilities, please share in the comments! I’m sure many of us reading this post, myself included, would benefit from any other tools that make our jobs easier to do from the comfort of home.