The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.

May 22, 2006 4:42 PM

GiftFilter: a friend has been accepted into a prestigious graduate program for screenwriting.

We have been best girlfriends for more than 20 years. We are both married and 38. This is huge -- she is quitting her "day job" to do this. She is someone who has always had at least 2 jobs to get herself through undergrad and survive in Los Angeles. She has eclectic taste in writers, music, and art. I think David Lynch is probably her favorite as far as film.

I want to give her something that acknowledges how hard she has worked to get here. Of course I want to focus to be on her and her achievement more than on our relationship but somehow reflecting how far we have come from living together in a one room apartment and eating free food at the Krishna Temple.

Something functional would be good but she is already loaded with moleskines, ipods, and messenger bags. Budget should be around $100 -- or it could be an idea for something to make myself. I knit, sew, solder, sculpt & model; I’m comfortable with projects involving wood, metal, textiles, & polymer clays.

posted by simbiotic to shopping (8 comments total)

A nice pen, if she writes by hand rather than using a PC. If she uses a computer how about a copy of Final Draft?
posted by fire&wings at 4:46 PM on May 22, 2006

A book, A Drinking Companion: Alcohol and Writers' Lives. Don't let her pretend she's going to be the first writer to be successful without alcohol.
posted by planetkyoto at 6:15 PM on May 22, 2006 [1 favorite]

To clarify for those who actually intend to answer my question: I was actually more interested in celebrating her emancipation from the 9 to 5 where her creativity was being stifled; it's not about the money.

note: Ask MetaFilter is as useful as you make it. Please limit comments to answers or help in finding an answer. Wisecracks don't help people find answers. Thanks.
posted by simbiotic at 7:09 PM on May 22, 2006

I say "actually" too much. I am not a writer.
posted by simbiotic at 7:14 PM on May 22, 2006

Something you made yourself would be great as a present. However, without knowing your friend, it's difficult to suggest anything which she would like.

On a more practical note, have you considered helping her with her studies by giving her a set of season tickets to cinemas in Los Angeles?
posted by booksprite at 11:43 PM on May 22, 2006

What not to get: a bound blank book. People get these for me all the time (I'm a writer) and while they're lovely, I end up just feeling guilty for not using them. Scriptwriters especially will compose on the computer so they can "time" scenes.

Final Draft would be a good gift if she doesn't already have it. So would season film tickets, or those booklets of film gift certificates.

Maybe a collection of movies about screenwriters? The only one I can think of is Adaptation but I bet you could come up with a list of six or seven.
posted by joannemerriam at 5:05 AM on May 23, 2006

If she is going to be up late at night it might be appropriate to knit her a nice warm sweater or some fingerless gloves. It is easy for fingers to get chilly and stiff at night and keeping them warm will keep her comfortable. You could knit something like knitty's cleaves, wrist warmers, or (if you know her size) rosebud or Banff.

If she has lots of messenger bags and a laptop she might need a nice laptop sleeve that she can move from bag to bag. You could make one or buy one.
posted by Alison at 8:02 AM on May 23, 2006

Also, you could celebrate her new freedom to wear whatever she wants as a student. Maybe you could make a crazy scarf or something wild that she never would have been able to get away with in the workplace.
posted by Alison at 8:05 AM on May 23, 2006