I’ve got a secret that I probably shouldn’t tell you.

The gear you use doesn’t really matter! It’s true.

I’ve been reading “REWORK” by the founders of 37 Signals, and it’s been rocking my world. Finally, there is a book about business the way I am wired! One of my favorite sections is titled “Tone Is In Your Fingers” – and I thought it was worth sharing. I really resonate with its truth, and I think you will, too. It’s a great reminder to us all that gear doesn’t matter!

“Tone Is In Your Fingers”

Guitar gurus say, “Tone is in your fingers.” You can buy the same guitar, effects pedals, and amplifier that Eddie Van Halen uses. But when you play that rig, it’s still going to sound like you.

Likewise, Eddie could plug into a crappy Strat/Pignose setup at a pawn shop, and you’d still be able to recognize that it’s Eddie Van Halen playing. Fancy gear can help, but the truth is your tone comes from you.

It’s tempting for people to obsess over tools instead of what they’re going to do with those tools. You know the type: Designers who use an avalanche of funky typefaces and fancy Photoshop filters but don’t have anything to say. Amateur photographers who want to debate film versus digital endlessly instead of focusing on what actually makes a photograph great.

Many amateur golfers think they need expensive clubs. But it’s the swing that matters, not the club. Give Tiger Woods a set of cheap clubs and he’ll still destroy you.

People use equipment as a crutch. They don’t want to put in the hours on the driving range so they spend a ton in the pro shop. They’re looking for a shortcut. But you just don’t need the best gear in the world to be good. And you definitely don’t need it to get started.

In business, too many people obsess over tools, software tricks, scaling issues, fancy office space, lavish furniture, and other frivolities instead of what really matters. And what really matters is how to actually get customers and make money.

You also see it in people who want to blog, podcast, or shoot videos for their business but get hung up on which tools to use. The content is what matters. You can spend tons on fancy equipment, but if you’ve got nothing to say…well, you’ve got nothing to say.

Use whatever you’ve got already or can afford cheaply. Then go. It’s not the gear that matters. It’s playing what you’ve got as well as you can play. Your tone is in your fingers.
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Allow me to bring it home.

It’s not the software or computer you use. It’s not your projector model or whether you are HD, SD, SDI, triple-wide, or 73-wide. Might I go so far as to say it’s not whether you use a Mac or PC… or a computer at all (gasp)! These tools alone are not going to make you better at what you do.

Time and time again, I see churches and organizations spend thousands and thousands on the latest bells and whistles, all in the name of “excellence.” And to be honest, I’m getting really tired of seeing the “excellence card” played in the name of worship. Buying exactly what Disney World, Fox News, or the cool-church-of-the-moment uses has very little or nothing to do with excellence or creativity.

Excellence is about YOU. Your heart. And Who you are worshiping. And He deserves the best YOU… not the best tools. He doesn’t need the iPad 2… nor does He demand your perfection (which you can never achieve, by the way). He wants your love, passion, and excellence. And not out of duty…but out of delight!

Now I’m not throwing gear out the window! Like the book said, “Fancy gear can help, but the truth is your tone comes from you.” Of course you’ll need to go beyond PowerPoint if you want to play motion backgrounds behind text. And there are certain tools and software required to do specific multi-screen configurations with edge-blending. But the simple act of going multi-screen isn’t going to make you great…it’s only going to multiply what you’re currently doing. And I don’t know about you, but I’d rather look at a single screen designed creatively than a triple-wide designed poorly.

Take my buddy Camron Ware for example. Years ago while serving at Irving Bible in Dallas, he decided to experiment. Instead of aiming lighting fixtures at the walls, he aimed projectors. Not high-end HD projectors, but run-of-the-mill 3000 lumen projectors…what most would consider less-than-ideal.  Camron also didn’t have a brand new Mac or even a TripleHead2Go. All he had were two older laptops, one of them was even a hand-me-down. He had a copy of EasyWorship running on one and an old version of SundayPlus on the other. But with a lot of time and practice aggregating and curating the right images, he was able to do a lot with a little. See for yourself.

(click to zoom)

I wonder what would happen if we all spent a year (or more) and didn’t buy one new piece of gear. But instead spent all of our time and money on what really matters: people. And if we would just stop and give ourselves permission (AND TIME) to experiment for a dang second, I bet the results would astound us all.

Make time for yourself to practice your craft. Invest in the creatives of your community. Focus less on the gear and more on the people…on training, inspiration, creative experimentation, and relationships. Take the time you would normally spend on researching, buying, shipping, approving, and learning that latest gadget you are lusting over and go to your “driving range” with your current gear and work on your design!

“Use whatever you’ve got already or can afford cheaply. Then go. It’s not the gear that matters. It’s playing what you’ve got as well as you can play. Your tone is in your fingers.”

Do yourself a favor and go buy “REWORK” today. You won’t regret it.