Dave Bradley's Tools of the Trade

In our Tools of the Trade series, we ask team members to share the five things they can’t live or work without — the essentials, habits, and little quirks that keep their creativity flowing.

For Alkemy X senior editor Dave Bradley, that means everything from helpful creative tools to his trusty guitar and his Monday morning coffee ritual.

Adobe Dynamic Linking

Mostly cutting in Premiere, I love using the Dynamic Link feature in the timeline to bridge shots to After Effects. It could be for quick title animation, slap comps, etc… For me, it keeps the flow going.  It doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll use it as a final, it just gets me to tease out ideas.

My Acoustic Seagull Guitar

My playing is intermediate at best, but I find that taking a break to strum out a song or two every couple hours keeps the brain juices flowing (I think my dog likes Hall & Oates' “Kiss on My List” the best)

Monday Mug

So, my wife thinks I tend to get a little OCD on certain things. And one of them is my start to the week. Coffee is a must every day, but on Monday, that coffee must be in my Monday Mug… which has John Krasinski’s “Some Good News” logo on it. Born from the pandemic, it became a calming ritual for me to prepare for the week ahead.

Autonomous Stand Up Desk

In our jobs, we tend to sit… a lot. So I make a concerted effort to get up and work while standing often. The Autonomous Stand Up Desk, with its smooth operation and custom presets, is the perfect choice for me.

Wordle

When you’re deep in an edit and trying multiple versions, variations, and ideas, you need to step away and come back with fresh eyes. Just as my guitar allows me to get into a different headspace for a moment, I love doing Wordle to change it up for a few minutes. Especially if I get it in 3. (If it’s 5 or 6 I’m not too happy.)