Holiday Gift Guide for the Content Creator in Your Life!
Here we are, smack in the middle of the holiday season. That means if you haven’t started shopping for those on your list, now would be a great time to start!
If you’re reading this, chances are you know some musicians. And, as we all know in this digital age, musicians are also content creators who need the tools to develop content of the highest quality, right from the comfort of their own homes.
As a seasoned content creator, I’ve picked up some tools of the trade that I cannot live without. So, I’m here to give you a few holiday gift ideas for the creative artist in your life.
EMART 60 LED Continuous Portable Photography Lighting Kit - $35.99 on Amazon
Video content continues to find increased relevance in today’s digital media landscape, and those who do it well have the details down pat – including good lighting!
I picked up a set of these EMART 60 LED lights in 2020, when we were all cooped up due to COVID and needed to create content from home. These things have been a staple of any at-home video content I’ve created since. They’re small and portable – they’ll fit on just about any desk, and stand at less than a foot tall. They come with three different color filters, too – yellow, blue, and red. My go-to is the yellow filter, as it adds a bit of warmth to the shot.
Amazon is running a special on these right now, so get them for $35.99 while you can. Or, if you want to spend an extra $2, they come in a dimmable version, so you can adjust brightness levels!
Blue Yeti Nano Premium USB Microphone – Starts at $69.99
What’s good video without good audio to back it up? I’ve recorded many episodes of The Quinn Spinn on this Blue Yeti Nano since moving to Nashville in 2018, and it’s been an integral part of every Zoom episode and Solo Mission. It’s plug-and-play via USB, so setup is quick and simple, and you can toggle between omnidirectional and unidirectional settings. I use it for podcasting, but it would come in handy just the same for live streams and demo recordings.
Adobe Creative Cloud - $84.99/mo subscription
My Adobe Creative Cloud subscription is the engine that makes Underground Music Collective – and in particular, The Quinn Spinn – run smoothly. Yes, there are free graphic design apps out there (I do love Canva when I need a quick graphic), but Adobe Creative Cloud is worth the investment. For this monthly subscription cost, you have access to every single Adobe application. Need to edit photos? Photoshop is there. Pumping out video content? Premiere is excellent, and just keeps getting better. Audition is easy-to-use if you need to edit audio. (Trust me – I’m by no means an audio engineer, and I’ve never had a problem understanding the nuances of Audition).
Adobe also offers particular bundles tailored to specific content needs, as well as single-app subscriptions. However, if you’re going to have access to one, you might as well have access to all.
One more thing: having used Adobe products across operating systems, I can tell you that Adobe apps are just as good on PC as they are on iOS machines. Whatever gap existed between the two closed a long time ago.
Everlasting Comfort Large Gaming Mouse Pad (with LED lights) – $21.99 via Amazon
Y’all… Everlasting Comfort is right. I had the opportunity to snag one of these earlier this year, and it’s been a dream to use. Not only does it provide loads of wrist support – very important, seeing as I’m at my laptop more often than not – but it’s fun to look at, and has 15 different color settings and varying brightness levels. You don’t have to be a gamer to appreciate this one!
