Dreamspace Studio

What Actually Works for Disabled, Neurodivergent, & Spoonie Creators (and Why)

When you’re building your creative business, you need more than “just the right software.” You need tools that fit your brain, systems you’ll actually use, and resources that teach you to think for yourself, not just follow the crowd. Here’s how I build my tech stack and why research, resourcefulness, and asking librarians questions are as important as any app.

Planning, Scheduling, & Project Management

• Notion: My digital command center. I use it to outline posts, track projects, and plan content weeks in advance.
  • Pro tip: If you’re prone to overwhelm, start with one dashboard and grow slowly.
• Google Drive & Docs: My drafts, outlines, and backups live here. It’s also the easiest way to collaborate when needed.
  • Con: Needs a good internet connection, and the interface gets cluttered fast.

Writing, Editing, & Proofreading

• Google Docs: Where most writing actually happens, for simplicity and compatibility.
• Grammarly: For catching typos and polishing drafts, but I never let it override my voice. Review every suggestion!
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary & Thesaurus: Quick lookups when I’m stuck.
• WordPress: The digital home for everything: blog, shop, newsletters, you name it.
  • Plugins:
    • Link Whisperer (free): Suggests internal links for SEO.
    • Auto Alt Text: Ensures images are accessible.
    • MailPoet: For newsletter signups, segmentation, and automation.
    • Easy Table of Contents: Adds a clickable outline to longer posts.
    • SEO Plugins: each one helps fine-tune discoverability without overcomplicating the workflow.
      • SEOPress
      • Schema & Structured Data
      • Page Optimize
    • WooCommerce: Powers the Dreamspace Shop.

Design, Formatting, & Images

• Canva (Free & Plus): Everything visual: blog images, banners, social posts, printables.
• Atticus: For book/eBook formatting. Drag, drop, done.
• Pinterest: For visual inspiration and sharing.
• Audacity: Free, open-source audio editing and recording software. It has a steep learning curve, but tons of learning resources are available on the site.

Research, Sourcing, & Citing

• Purdue OWL: My gold standard for citation rules, formatting guides, and academic writing help.
• EasyBib: Makes creating bibliographies and citations simple, especially for those who struggle with details.
• Google Scholar: My go-to for finding peer-reviewed articles, reputable sources, and studies. (You still have to check for reliability, but it filters out a lot of the noise.)
• PubMed: For credible medical info, never for self-diagnosis, always for source-checking.
• Canary Media: For tracking news, source bias, and media reliability.
• Pixabay: For free and premium royalty-free images and video
• Epidemic Sound: For worry-free music, production tools, and sounds
• Local Library & Librarians: Underrated! Ask about free online databases, interlibrary loans, or even research classes that love helping you learn how to find and use information.

Personal note:

If you only remember one thing: Wikipedia isn’t a final source, but its bibliography is often a goldmine of reputable links. Start there, but always, always double-check.

How to Level Up Your Research (Without Burning Out)

If you want to become a better researcher, it’s super important to check your facts by looking at different sources. A great way to level up your skills is by taking a free online class. Check out libraries, Coursera, or even YouTube for some good stuff on how to research and appropriately cite what you find.

Also, it’s a solid idea to create your own resource list; it’ll be helpful for a long time. Just remember, you don’t have to be an expert in your area; what really counts is having a curious attitude, being careful with where you get your info, and being willing to ask for help if you need it.

Your Turn: What’s in Your Stack?

The best tech stack is the one that works for you, whether it’s jam-packed with fancy tools or just the bare essentials. Take a few minutes to jot down (or mentally list) the resources, apps, or old-school tricks you actually rely on to keep your creative life moving.

Have a favorite tool, hidden gem, or workflow hack? Share it in the comments! Let’s build a collective library of real solutions that make creative work more possible for all of us, no gatekeeping allowed.

And remember: the “right” stack is the one that helps you show up, not the one that’s trending on someone else’s Instagram. Build your own Dreamspace, one tool at a time.