When you operate in the tech industry, you have the privilege of getting to know a bevy of interesting, creative people. This is great for networking and making life anything-but-bland, however, it does make for a difficult shopping trip. What do you get a blogger who spends the day in their slippers? What about your ad men? Let’s not forget your jingle musicians, artists and stuff-getter-doners. If you still need to snag a few gifts for the industry people in your life, here is something for everyone on your creative nice list…
For the Writer Who Keeps Geek Squad in Business
If you know a writer and you know them well, then you probably know that Best Buy’s Geek Squad just might have them on their “do not sell” list. Seriously… writers go through MORE than their fair share of warranties. Giving a writer a warranty is like leaving your diet alone with a really good donut – it’s not gonna last long! This is because much of a writer’s day is spent on their laptop and there isn’t much they can do about that. (Not that they would want to.)
Ironically, laptops do not like to sit flat even though that is what they were designed to do. The air has a considerable amount of trouble circulating when pressed against knees or a desk and this often leads to overheating. When the laptop overheats, BAD things happen like 100,000-word manuscripts getting sucked into the eighth circle of hell, photos of their first book tour end up lost in cyberspace and that high-score they snagged procrastinating on their deadline becomes just another tall-tale. Nobody wants that.
Solve this modern-day scribe problem with this laptop prop table that allows cool air to flow through while also creating angles that are better for their health in general. Helping to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, a laptop stand will give back to them all year long and maybe, just maybe, help them buy a laptop warranty while NOT dressed incognito.
For the Get-Stuff-Doner Who Gets Stuff Done
We all have that one buddy that we aren’t really sure what it is that they do all day long. We just know that they are out there grinding and trying to make things happen for themselves. Whether they are focused on promoting their underground band, taking investor calls about their hot new product prototype or representing a hip Indie film company trying to make a name for itself, this Cord Buddy helps them keep their devices charged and ready to go, no tangling necessary, while they are working hard at… well, whatever the heck it is that they do.
The unit comes in three different colors wood grain, nickel and black. It is also equipped with a motion sensor that turns on a built-in nightlight. Well, you know, because getting up to turn on a light to find your charger or device is just so 2016.
For the Artist Who is Going Places
Artists can take 5-minutes of their time and create something that we couldn’t create in 5 weeks. That, my friend, is talent. If you know someone who is still working their day job, but also dreaming of becoming a published artist on the side, give them the gift of knowing that you believe in their talent and think that they can make this a full-time gig someday.
Mozr.com works with artists, business owners and individuals to help them create android applications that speaks to who they are as a company, personality or artist. With crisp, clean, modern designs and a team that is always willing to work right alongside the client to capture the vibe of their brand, Mozr can help take the artist you know… and make them into the famous artist you know. Go ahead… ask for that signed painting now. We heard those things can really take off.
For the Ad Men (or Women) on Their Way to Madison Avenue
Marketing in our modern age has become HIGHLY competitive. So much so, that ad firms house some of the tightest cyber security in the country. With new social arenas being developed daily, staying ahead of the curve is harder than ever before and this mean guarding your ideas… and always being on your toes. However, marketers, at heart, are highly competitive people who welcome a challenge and thrive on high-stress deadlines that seem almost impossible to meet for the average person.
If marketers are going to stay on their game, they need to actually stay awake… and, all marketers know that sleep is for quitters. Because marketers never quit, use Starbucks Tweet a Coffee app to send over a gift coffee when your marketing colleague needs it most of all. (If you are the CEO of your company, this may also be used a manipulative incentive to meet that deadline and fast, darn it!) They can then cash it in for a free beverage to keep their creativity going strong.
You will need to set up an account to use the app, but once you are set up, you can knock out your whole Christmas list in about 3-minutes… and by knock out, I mean, hype up everybody you know with plenty of skinny lattes. (Hey, now is a great time to invite everybody over to help you finish gift wrapping.)
For the Musician Who is Still Looking for that Break
Though Harvard has debunked the idea that music makes you better at math, it still has a way of making you better and helping you to procrastinate… a lot. (Perhaps, we could benefit from a to-do list intervention.) Whether you know a young musician who can still live out of his van, eat Ramen and rely on the kindness of bar flies to help him make it through the week or a 50-year-old punk rocker who was smart enough to know that this is the one genre where you are cooler as you age and bald, everybody knows a musician who is still looking for his or her big break.
Notoriously picky, gifting a musician with an instrument is typically not the best idea unless you are a musician too and understand what makes an instrument sing. However, when it comes to the right gift, you cannot go wrong with music subscriptions to sites like Pandora that allows them to get inspired or simply uplifted when they need it most. A gift subscription to Pandora will run you about $36 annually and you can choose the length of time you offer it.