14 Gift Ideas for the Creative Person in Your Life
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Apple's most powerful tablet is made for any creative digital task: writing the next Great American Novel, sketching up something pretty, or making sick beats. There’s no shortage of apps to suit any artistic passion. If they love to draw, get them the $100 Pencil accessory, and if they are a writer, get them an add-on keyboard—Apple's gets the job done, but Logitech's is better.
Tired of losing time with your pal because they’re always in the stu’? The pocketable IK Multimedia iRig Pro lets them connect anything audio—from microphones to guitars to samplers—into an iPad, iPhone, or Mac. With this gadget, they can record their next hit single no matter where they’re at.
If your loved one makes music on a laptop or a mobile device, they'll need a good set of 'phones to hear the unaltered sound of their music. Etymotic Research’s in-ear headphones reproduce audio faithfully across all the frequencies, so they don't crank up the bass or deceive the ear in any way. They're also just great-sounding, so whether they're using them for relaxed listening or an all-night editing sesh, they'll love them.
Before they go out to snap some sweet action shots, make sure they’ve got the latest action camera from GoPro. The Hero6 Black records in 4k, has tons of shooting modes for all kinds of dramatic footage, and it’s fully waterproof, so they can take it from the moguls to the waves without worry.
They’ve probably already got a smartphone with a killer camera. But any photographer would leap at the opportunity to shoot with a pro-quality tool like the Fujifilm X100F. The compact body has a fixed 23mm lens, making it great for shooting street scenes, live concerts, or travel adventures. It also has Wi-Fi, so they can transfer their photos to their phone for easy Instagramming.
The beloved writer in your life deserves a better typing experience than that squishy keyboard that came for free with their computer. The KBC Poker 3 mechanical keyboard ditches the number pad and the function row, but that's preferable for writers who focus just on words. The Cherry MX Blue switches beneath the keycaps are wicked loud, but they offer a bouncy, typewriter-like feel that'll get them that much closer to Hemingway.
Whether they read to find inspiration, to learn a new technique, or just to escape their work for a little while, get them this Kindle. Your loved one will certainly appreciate being able to carry all their favorite books everywhere on the best e-reader around. They can use it to check out library books too.
If your loved one is always twiddling with music creation software, give them a unique interface for craftings melodies and beats. Roli's Songmaker Kit features three of the company's innovative hardware tools for music production: a Seaboard keyboard, a Light Block for adjusting levels and adding effects, and a Loop Block with buttons to control the session.
Do they love videogames as much as they love making music? DJ TechTools's Midi Fighter 64 is a hardware controller that syncs up to Abelton Live and other music software. It's perfect for adding percussion to tracks, thanks to its eight by eight grid of clicky Japanese arcade buttons. Each button has its own LED, which lets a musician customize the lighting and even pre-program animations for use during live performances.
If they work on creative stuff in Windows, they know about the Surface Studio. And they totally want one. This powerful and screaming-fast touchscreen PC also folds down to an almost flat configuration, making it easier draw and sketch with the included pen. You can also get your loved one the Surface Dial accessory that adds twist and push gestures to most creative apps available for Windows.
They're struggling to finish their novel, but you can’t help them get words on the page. Screenwriter John August’s Writer Emergency Pack can offer some help. It’s a stack of pocketable cards that has plenty of ideas and suggestions to help them get their story back on track, and each card has pretty illustrations to go along with each nudge of encouragement.
