2023 Creative Wish List

It’s that magical time of year in which we get to tell the people in our lives how much we love them by how much we spend on them or how much thought we put into a gift.

This year, I’m going to give you the biggest tips when it comes to gift-giving for the creatives in your life.

Here’s what we all want but are too afraid to ask for:

• Space to create. This could be a physical space but more than likely its emotional “room” to breathe and create what they’ve always wanted to. Babysit their kids, gift an art museum membership, but most importantly, don’t stifle their creativity. Build them up, don’t tear them down with constant critiques.

• Freedom to be ourselves. Most creatives feel like an enigma, but the greatest gift is for you to understand and embrace their differences. Don’t try to get them to see your point of view, rather listen to theirs, embrace it, back it with truth, and spur each other on.

• Encouragement to keep going. We are a negative species. Rarely does anything we create pass the “good enough” test in our mind’s eye. We need you to encourage us when we feel like giving up or when we are filled with imposter syndrome.

• Community. The creative space can be a lonely one. Heads down, narrowed focus, and short-sightedness, all hinder us from creating our best work. Whether we admit it or not, we need YOU. We need community.

• ***On a more practical level, give us the assets we need to do the job you asked us to do. Sometimes the only thing holding us back from creating our best work is not having what we need to get it done. (Sorry for the rant, that last one may have been just for me.)

The list could go on for days, but these are the things I hear the most when working with other creatives and hearing their hearts on what’s truly important to them. So this year, give a gift that stands the test of time to the creatives in your life.