The 2023 Kleon Studios Gift Guide

10 gift ideas for artists, writers, and other creative weirdos

Hey y’all,

Here’s a list of gift ideas for holiday shopping or treating yourself. Most of it is fairly inexpensive gear I use in the studio…

1. Let’s not beat around the bush here: My books make excellent stocking stuffers! The hardcover of my million-seller Steal Like an Artist and the matching journal are great all-around gifts, especially for younger people. Show Your Work! is for people struggling to get their work noticed or their business going. Keep Going is for people trying to stay creative in tough times. If you know an audiobook lover, you can get the whole trilogy for the cost of one book. If you want a “deep cut” for the true weirdo on your list, gift a copy of my CIA-does-haiku poetry collection, Newspaper Blackout.
   

   
   

2. Keeping a diary is such a fulfilling creative practice, but it can be hard for people to get started and keep it going. For that reason, I’m a big fan of the 5-year diary format, where you just write one line a day. I use this Tamara Shopsin-designed notebook for a commonplace quote diary, but I got both of my kids this canvas one line a day diary and they love it.
   
   

3. My own personal “notebook turducken” is a Zequenz ruled A5 flexible for my diary and sketchbook, a hardcover Moleskine pocket Daily Planner for my logbook, and a Leuchtturm 1917 pocket squared notebook for carrying around and scribbling notes.
   
   

4. I love getting and giving pencils! My very favorite pencil is the dark and soft Musgrave 600 NEWS. If you want it darker: Prismacolor Ebony Graphites. Mitsubishi has the coolest boxes. A set of Tombow MONO pencils would be great for any drawer. For true pencil nerds, get them a set of Derwent pencil extenders. A cute but mighty pencil sharpener is the Carl Angel-5.
   
   

5. My elementary-aged kids somehow didn’t know that mechanical pencils existed, so we got them a set of these very affordable Paper Mate triangular mechanical pencils and they use them all the time at school and at home.

   
   

6. I get a lot of good ideas when I’m soaking, so I keep a pad of Aqua Notes in the shower and a Rite in the Rain spiral notebook beside the pool.
   
   

7. The Pentel Portable Pocket Brush pen is the most magical pen I own. I love mine and use it in my diary every day. I buy them in bulk, but they last forever so I rarely have to replace them. I love them so much I hacked them to do color using Lamy fountain inks and Pelikan highlighter ink. (My other favorite inky implements: Pilot G-2 Bolds, Paper Mate Flairs, fine point Sharpies, and Posca paint markers.)
   
   

8. A collage/zine-making kit: put some old magazines in with a cutting mat, a set of X-Acto knives, some orange-handled Fiskar scissors, a bone folder, and UHU glue sticks.
   
   

9. A Trodat professional self-inking date stamp. It makes the most satisfying “KACHUNK” sound ever.
   
   

10. Finally, I’m offering 20% off paid subscriptions to this newsletter until December 25th! A paid subscription gets you bonus Tuesday letters and membership in a community of thousands of creative, interesting, and kind folks. If you know somebody who should be in our crew, sign ‘em up! And if you yourself have been waiting to join, now’s the time:

Thanks, as always for reading. This is a hand-rolled, algorithm-free, completely reader-supported publication. If you happen to have year-end budget that you’re looking to burn, hire me to speak to your organization!

xoxo,

Austin