the life-changing magic of colored pencils
8 thoughtful gift ideas for the analog soul.
🎁 Read the Molehill guide to Bay Area shops for IRL gift shopping ideas.
My phone addiction has been bad lately.
Winter seasonal depression always makes me doomscroll more than usual. I’m fully aware that it’s an unhealthy habit, but it’s so. hard. to. stop. I’ve been wondering what it would take for me to undergo a sustained and radical behavioral change. My college thesis seminar was in Behavioral Economics, and every paper was basically an experiment on whether the sample population responded better to carrots or sticks. I’ve always thought a carrot was a poor example of a treat. Maybe it’s motivating for a horse, but couldn’t we come up with something more titillating for humans? A Pocky stick, perhaps!
In an attempt to lure my brain towards healthier interests, I bought a 120 pack of colored pencils. The idea spontaneously came to me one morning over breakfast. I chewed my buttered toast as I checked out my shopping cart. When it said Order Confirmed!, I took a celebratory chomp of burnt crust.
I’m not sure why it felt like such a definitive decision in that moment—but it was more thrilling to receive in the mail than any kind of clothing item. Clothes are for wearing, and that’s plenty fun, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes I put on a great outfit and think: now what?
I’ve been trying to have drawing time every day. Usually, it’s during that depressing window between 4-6pm, when the sky gets dark before “business hours” end and you don’t know what to do with your sense of impending doom. I lay out my tin of colored pencils on the dining table with a sketchbook, and just start sketching and scribbling away. Sometimes I will draw my clothes and accessories. They usually look a little fucked up, and not even in a cool conceptual art way, because you can tell that I was aiming for some level of photorealism and missed the mark.
But as the kids are saying on Tiktok these days: girl, whatever.
It’s simple fun. I feel proud when a drawing turns out the way I wanted it to. I’m treating my eyes to real colors and textures on the page, as opposed to the 2D technicolor prison of my phone screen.
So, maybe my animal brain is carrot-wired after all. But one carrot isn’t enough—I need 120 carrots, in the entire color of the rainbow.
Below, a considered selection of 8 gift ideas for the analog soul. Most are under $50.
All illustrations by me ;)
1. A Tin Box of 36 Colored Pencils ($38)
If you want to get into drawing, colored pencils are one of the most accessible mediums to start with. It’s not as messy as painting (no liquids involved!), and super portable to bring to cafes and such. The tin container is part of the appeal. It’s so…compact and smooth. I’m recommending Prismacolor as an entry-level brand because I used to draw with them in high school. The quality is decent but not creme de la creme or anything. It’s all you need as a casual hobbyist. If you want something fancier to pursue drawing more earnestly, go with a 60 pack of Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils (the brand I use right now).
2. Goodnight Moon Writing Kit ($28)
The stamp release that had us in a chokehold all summer! One day it’ll be discontinued, because good things don’t last forever, and we will all be wishing we stocked up while we had the chance. This writing kit is very gift-able because it has envelopes and a Green Room themed folder. I.e. It feels more substantial than just a loose page of stamps.
3. A Stylish 1000 Piece Puzzle ($36)
During covid quarantine, I spent my days doing puzzles and watching old seasons of Survivor. Pieceworks makes stylish puzzles that look good on your coffee table. I also like that it’s 1000 pieces. Idk, anything less and it feels like I’m not getting my money’s worth of cognitive challenge!! Hosting tip: leave a puzzle in progress on a table, people often like doing something with their hands while they chit chat.