Tips for Buying Gifts for Creative Friends
So, you have a friend that's creative, but you have no idea how to buy something they'll like or not double up on unnecessary items? You've come to the right place.
The first thing you need to figure out is what kind of creative things they enjoy. Discover if the like painting, drawing, cardmaking, sewing, or whatever. For people who are into many different things, you may want to find what they like the most, or get them something new, as they might be the type of person who will like to try new things.
The key to getting them items that they could use is get them something that they could get a trillion of and they will still use them. This will include papers, paints, fabrics, ribbons, pencils, gems etc.
Before you go and buy any random supplies for your friend, you need to know whether they are very specific about what type of supplies they use. Some artists will love anything you get them, but some are very specific and won't use anything but their preferred brands. For these people, it's probably best to find out exactly what they want, and asking them specifically for items, or giving them money towards them to buy their own supplies, or a Gift Card for a good Art or crafts speciality store. Next, you should probably decide how much you would like to spend, and whether you want to get them lots of little things, or less, but higher quality items. If you are gathering items for someone new to a hobby, I would suggest looking up subscription boxes to find supplies that work well together and have everything included to get started. You could get the items individually, or gift the boxes themselves, just be aware of shipping, as it may be more than the box itself, and sourcing local products might be cheaper, though more hassle.
Try stalking their social media to see previous projects, hints towards things they'd like to try, or need more of.
Knowing the specific item needed is useful, and if you have enough time, can usually be found online, but fragile things, like pencils or pastels, would probably be better bought in person, but you can judge what is best.