9 gifts that will inspire creativity
I’ve eaten all my Kendall Mint Cake supply, dropped 13 compasses down mountains and worn through my best pair of hikers (hikers being boots, not friends, just to clarify) to journey to the furthest corners of the internet to bring you these nine spiffing gifts that will definitely inspire creativity and get your ideas flowing.
Something for damp ideas. Where do you get your great ideas? I’ll wager a packet of chocolate buttons it’s often somewhere that makes it almost impossible to write down said idea so it doesn’t fall out of the back of your brain. If you find you get a spark of creativity in the bath, up a mountain or on a rainy school run, then the Rite in the Rain waterproof notebook will be a godsend. You could even lean out of the shower and scribble down that idea. £6 in a range of natty colours, have a look here.
Big (paper) thinking. Your ideas aren’t A4 in size, so why should your paper be? Think big and write, scribble, doodle and draw to your creative heart’s content with this fabulous wall mounted paper roll dispenser. Get one in your workspace, stock up on coloured markers and get your creativity…roll. If you check out the picture of the board on Etsy, it’s not only mounted onto an exposed, distressed brick wall, there are arm tattoos on display, so it must be cool. Around £100, worth a Google to find options.
Let’s invent gridoodling. They’re Post-It notes, but griddier… these rather delightful Grid Stickies are great for geometric doodling, drawing cube-shaped ideas and generally look rather marvellous on your desk. It’s almost impossible to resist doodling on them… £4.75.
Who built the ark? Noah, Noah. (Apologies if that is now your earworm for the rest of the day). Noah may have built the ark, but apparently he’s now diversified into lovely craft kits. Noah kits can spark your creativity with a new making hobby, and there is something uniquely inspirational and fun about making ‘stuff’ with your hands. There’s even a quiz on their website to find the right craft kit. From around £30.
Oh dear, this is interesting. If you like your creative endeavours more two dimensional, you could do a lot worse than an Artful Box. Pick a medium – studio markets, screen printing, ink, calligraphy (not a medium, but let’s not split nibs), paint – and get a box that has everything to need to get creative and explore. And the boxes have seriously good quality kit in them. Check out Ooh Deer and win the Best Gift of the Year prize (not a thing but it should be). Each box is £49.95. And while you’re there, why not have a look at the less budget-busting Papergang Stationery boxes and assorted gifts? You can thank me later.
A gift to match your adventurous side. Strike a light! This is a fabulous stocking filler to ignite ideas and spark adventure – a giant matchbook with 50 ways to explore and discover novelty. Pick and match and let the suggestion lead you somewhere new… £10.99 from Amazon or somewhere less morally dubious.
Who’s for foldable crabs? Getting creative doesn’t have to mean loads of kit. Who doesn’t want to learn how to make giant ocean origami? I mean seriously, it’s what Boxing Day was designed for. And the book is crammed with facts too, so you become cleverer with every fold (perhaps). And it might just inspire a whole new world of paper creations. It’s available in many places, including the RSPB website.
It’s mojo a-go-go. A classic gift to get your creative juices flowing: Lorna Scobie’s 365 Days of Creativity. It has to rank as one of the more life-affirming, enjoyable New Year’s resolutions to undertake, with a range of daily exercises to get your creative mojo… mojoing. And given that 2024 is a leap year, you even get a day off. Get it here.
Stamp out boring wrapping paper. Okay, so this is not technically a present (but quite frankly, I would be utterly delighted). Get kitted up for some creative making… grab a set of Christmas themed stamps, a couple of pads of ink and a roll of kraft paper and get about making your very own, bespoke Christmas wrapping paper to wrap some of these creative gifts in. Stamptastic have some great ones, which you can check out here – bobble hats, Christmas puddings, baubles… you get the idea. Each are £10.99 but lots of places do stamps, so fill your boots to suit your budget (I mean, don’t actually fill your boots, its’ going to get terribly uncomfortable).
So that’s a creative Christmas all wrapped up (not even sorry). May your stocking be bulging, your chimney be of sufficient girth to give the big man in red an easy entry, and your roasties stay forever crispy.