My 2019 top 3 Christmas gifts

My 2019 top 3 Christmas gifts ideas for artist.

If I'm being honest (which I have no reason to be otherwise), I am a little hesitant to write this blog post about my top Christmas gifts in fear that it will be received as an excuse to brag rather than its intent of being informative and helpful.  I sought out advice from a few trusted sources, and with their positive feedback, I'm going to silence my fear and go for it.  

My family has adopted the method of creating wish lists...more specifically, Amazon wish lists.  I know that shopping from one's list can take a little of the surprise out of Christmas (kinda like a gender reveal before a baby is born), but I like knowing what I'm investing in for someone else will be loved and used instead of sitting in a closet or re-gifted.

My Christmas list is something that evolves throughout the year as I learn of helpful products or products that I would love to have but wouldn't just buy for myself, and usually consist of the following categories...

Home

This may consist of home furnishings, kitchen tools and gadgets, gardening and homesteading.

Personal

This one is obvious... clothing, personal care, exercise equipment, jewelry (which is rare), etc...

Business

This is where I'm going to park and spend some time because the purpose of this post is to share products that not only I love, but also the artist in your life may enjoy.  Some of these items may seem obvious and fitting for any professional, and maybe some are items you may have never considered as a gift idea.

Before I talk about my top faves from this year, here are some general items that are often found on most artists' wish list.

paint brushes, paints, pads of paper/sketch books, canvases, gift cards to art supply stores, art books, frames, online classes, pencils, wireless ear buds, ipad/iphone holder, coffee warmer (this is always a must for the coffee/tea drinker),  travel easels, etc...

1. Toplive 3 ring portfolio binder

I have this gift as my #1 because of its practicality, and here is why I added this to my wish list.  First off, I never knew how hard it would be to find a planner that completely fits you and your needs, and there is never a once size fits all with them.

I've used planners for 3 + years, and I'm really starting to understand exactly what I need in a planner.  I searched all the office stores and amazon looking for a planner that met my needs or expectations with no success.  I was almost convinced that I was going to have to design my own until I thought about Etsy.  I just knew if I was having trouble finding a planner with all the modern day essentials, someone else did, too, and just maybe they already designed one.  Ding, Ding, Ding...I found a winner!

I found a small shop Printables by M that had exactly what I wanted.  She has a small business planner package with the basic weekly, monthly, daily planner plus social media planning and tracking, goal setting, budgeting, promotion tracking, sales & expense, and more.  The amazing part, it is purchased as a downloadable file for under 10.00!  You heard that right, under10 bucks!  I love that I own the files and can print it year after year.  Have you priced good planners?  They can be super pricey.

Anyways, I had my planner pages, but needed something to hold them.  I came across this one (above) and it was the perfect size, had pockets in the front and back as well as a place for my pen, and it came in a pretty gold (which I'm digging these days).  Learn more about the Toplive binder.

 

2. How To Sell Your Art Online by Cory Huff

 I'm always looking to grow in my industry, and books on mediums, techniques, marketing, along with tips on running your biz are an inexpensive way to learn and invest in yourself.  Sometimes, the books don't stay on my list long because I get eager to read them, Anyone else do that?  Yeah, I thought so.

This year I had 2 books on my list dealing with online selling and marketing because marketing is a weakness of mine, and its strategies are always changing.  Cory Huff from the Abundant Artist has become one of my favorite resources for running an art business, and his book was one I kept telling myself I would get.  You know how there are products you see and you make a mental note, but seem to forget all about it when the time comes to purchase?  Yup, that kept happening.  For some miracle, I remembered to get that book on my list this year, and I'm so glad I did because it is so good and full of wonderful content.  Read more about How To Sell Art Online.

3. Three panel Display Unit 

The above image (from Amazon's website) is the third item I want to share with you.  This is the most expensive from my list, but still very affordable.

If you have followed my blog for a minute, you have seen where I participated in a couple craft/art fairs this past Fall (you can read How to Create a Craft Display On a Budget).  I put together my displays for those fairs on a very tight budget because I didn't want to invest in display units until I was sure that I would continue to do these events.

Needless to say, those experiences were wonderful, and I enjoyed meeting so many new people. I have decided to pursue more of these opportunities this year, and I just can't wait!

What I really like about this particular unit is it is so versatile, and I love me some options, don't you?  You can zig-zag the panels creating a two sided display or create a three sided column by connecting all pieces into a triangle.  I just bought the standard panels, but you can find them on castors, too.

If you know an artist or any artisans who do fairs, this makes a great useful gift!

This year's top 3 gift roundup isn't as exciting as last year's Epson fine art printer or the year before's watercolor palette and matte cutter, but nonetheless, very useful and appreciated.

  I hope through my sharing some of my favorite 2019 gifts that you have found something helpful for yourself or for an artist friend that you buy gifts for.  If you have found this helpful, please let me know in the comments, and don't forget...all the resource links for each of the items are provided above.

I wish you all a very blessed and prosperous New Year!.