Do you doodle on purpose or just when you are bored? I used to doodle only when my attention was waning and my mind wandered off to somewhere in the joy jungle of my right brain. If someone glanced at me in a meeting and saw me doodling, I would quickly cover it up. Now I know that doodling actually helps me pay attention! Interesting study here. “Alleluia,” says my right brain. “Let me at it!”
So I started doodling on purpose, and enlisted the aid of two books on the subject that you might find interesting. (and yes, they are affiliate links, but I do actually own both of these books). You can actually solve problems with doodles, not just create them at meetings. If you are a color pen freak, get out your pens and an unlined piece of paper. If you are not a color pen freak, my strong suggestion is that you become one. On the piece of paper, write a word for your problem. Like, say, MONEY. Then just start doodling. I like having a kind of structured way to doodle, which both of these books illustrate. After a bit of easy doodling, just see if you come up with some words that pertain to your problem. Write them down quickly and keep do-do-doodling. The doodle below is one I did about time. So–do you doodle? Pens ready? GO! Best, Karen
Doodles Unleashed: Mixed-Media Techniques for Doodling, Mark-Making & Lettering
About Karen
Great post. I do Zentangles to soothe and quiet my mind. It helps me reconnect to that creative side.
Hi, Arwen,
Thanks for reading my post! I have seen Zentangles advertised and wondered about them.
Best, K3
I do doodle and it does help me pay attention. My husband is an artist and when he was taking a Psych course for his Master’s the professor asked him to stay after class. The professor was angry because Jeff had been drawing. Jeff showed him the tree and all the symbols in the tree and redid the prof’s lecture. Jeff came home rather shaken and wondered what would have been his grade if the professor hadn’t talked to him. Thanks for the post and the links.
Sheila,
What a great example of what a help doodling can be. Doodle on! Thanks for reading my post! K3
Hi Karen – nice post. I’ve always been a hard-core doodler, and I know now that it has helped me learn and remember and become more patient. I also recently discovered it is a great way to meditate and deal with trauma and grief.
Keep doodling! 🙂
Hi Karen,
Oh yeah! I’m a big doodler- on little bits of paper, at the office, in my studio, in the sketchbook. Now I’m even trying to incorporate those “doodles” right into my originals paintings! Yeah for doodles!
I’ve been giving a lot of thought to making more space in my office/day/etc. for doing more visual stuff, and this seems to be a good way to ease into that. I’m off to clear a space and get that big roll of paper out of the basement.
I love to doodle. The feelings of connectedness and grounding that I experience really make it a great activity for me (and really for anyone!).
Thanks for reading my post. I suppose there is an automated doodling program somewhere. I thought doodle.com was a creative tool. And it is, except it’s a scheduling program. Boo! K3