Yo work fun nation,

We're all snobs (at one point or another).

This might sound familiar if you've ever caught yourself overthinking the "right" way to do something.

Yesterday I did something that would've made my old filmmaking purist self absolutely cringe.

I edited an entire long-form video on my phone. Everything - source files, audio, overlays, effects - all via mobile.

Am not proud of this, but for years, I looked down on mobile editing tools like CapCut. "Real" editors use Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve, or Premiere, right?

Mobile apps were just for quick talking heads and subtitles. I tried them when they came out and they were clunky as hell.

Kaya ayun, uninstall agad.

But my son's coding class taught me something about play versus perfectionism (shared that story on my FB wall ).

So I thought - what if I stopped caring about the "right" way to do things?

Opened CapCut mobile and went all out. More than 5 layers. Complex transitions. Multiple audio tracks. The works.

Here's what happened: I learned more about mobile editing in 2 hours than I had in years of dismissing it.

CapCut has actually evolved massively since I first tested and judged it agad several years back.

Here's the video. It's 7 non obvious and non obnoxious ways to improve your life using chatgpt. Let me know din if you find it helpful, and if yes pa share please.

Sure, there were walls. Still annoying when you're editing on a phone screen. (I'm used to dual 27 inch monitors that are true black and colour calibrated)

Tapos no hotkeys nga naman. Obviously kasi your phone has no keys, lol.

B-roll creation is solid but organizing files on your phone gets messy. Had to rethink my whole approach.

But here's the thing - I was able to research, film, fully edit, and publish a reasonably long video in 2.5 hours total.

This hits deeper than just video editing.

How many times have you avoided a project or delayed starting because you didn't have the "professional" solution?

How many clients have you lost because you were waiting to get the perfect setup and perfect set of tools instead of just delivering with what works?

I used to turn down video editing gigs if they weren't big enough to justify firing up my desktop workstation. (Nakakahiya man aminin hehe)

Meanwhile, other freelancers were closing deals and delivering quality work using tools I considered "amateur."

The tool I thought was "beneath me" actually taught me new ways to think about storytelling. The constraints forced creativity I wouldn't have found otherwise.

Sometimes pala the best tool is the one you can actually finish projects with.

And here's the kicker - clients don't care about your workflow. They care about results.

That video I edited on my phone? It performed better than some projects I spent days perfecting on "professional" software.

Ikaw naman.

What "amateur" tool have you been avoiding that might actually solve your problem faster?

What project are you overthinking because you don't have the "right" equipment or software?

Maybe you're waiting for the perfect microphone before starting that podcast.

Or holding off on graphic design clients because you only know Canva instead of Photoshop.

Or refusing to take on simple websites because you think WordPress is too basic.

Maybe it's time to stop optimizing for perfection and start optimizing for discovery.

Try the thing you've been dismissing. See what happens when you focus on finishing instead of perfecting.

The freelancer who delivers good work with basic tools beats the one who never starts because they're hunting for perfect tools.

Talk soon,

Shoden "Reformed Tool Snob" San

P.S. If this email hit home or you've had a similar "tool snob" moment, hit reply and let me know. I read every response and your stories inspire future emails.

🎉 Pst. Don't Keep Me A Secret. refer this newsletter to your freelancer friends. This REALLY REALLY helps me a lot, thanks! Or if you're done referring and you just want to buy me some coffee, I won't stop you.