Oodles of Doodles!

Did you ever doodle in your notebook in school? Sometimes you'd get so caught up in doodling that you'd lose track of the teacher, and the next thing you know your name has been called to answer a question about the lesson that day and you're a deer in headlights. 

Personally, I got away from doodling when I was done with school. I suppose I found myself with less time spent sitting at a desk and lots of other things keeping me occupied instead. 

Lately though I've been getting back into it and it's been so much fun and surprisingly relaxing. It's brought back a lot kinesthetic memory, and I'm remembering the ways I used to use to doodle things like aliens, flowers, mazes, and eyes. 

I got back into doodling on purpose when I realized I was having trouble with sketching and drawing. I was psyching myself out each time I sat down to sketch or draw something because I was so out of practice and couldn't get out of my judgement mentality. 

I was afraid it would suck, or not be any good, or even feel like whatever I drew was this permanent thing that I had to live with. 

It's been a difficult lesson to learn that you can't draw well if you're stuck in your logical mind, and on top of that drawing is a skill which means it takes practice to build. 

We don't become good or even great at anything overnight, it takes work and time. Since I want to "get gud" at drawing I have to start somewhere, and understand whatever comes out is not going to be great right away. It's an exercise in patience to let go of expectations with the faith that along the way I'll develop my own style and grow from there. 

In the meantime, I've been using doodle books for practice and inspiration. The Ballpoint Doodle Handbook by Sarah Skeate has been a delightfully fun resource for me to get back into the swing of doodling without putting too much pressure on myself. 

I'm just having fun with it again, and that feels really good. 

It should be no surprise to find out that doodling also has benefits that include stress relief, improved focus, and increased memory, so yeah no wonder it feels so good! 

Doodling is great practice for drawing, so I'm excited to build these skills and I'm looking forward to seeing how I put them to use in the future. 

However, even if you're not an aspiring artist, I would still encourage you to give it a shot. 

Many people I've shared my art and aspirations with have often reacted by saying things like " Oh, I suck at drawing!", "I don't have a single artistic bone in me.", or "I don't know how you do it, you're just talented, I guess." 

While it may be true that some of us are more artistically inclined, I deeply believe we are all creative beings. So give doodling a chance! I highly recommend this book, it's very easy to use and there's lots of instruction and tips. 

If you're just not into drawing find another creative outlet, it could be anything! Maybe you like coloring, or sewing, or embroidery, spinning yarn, weaving, or making jewelry! You won't know until you try, and it's an important part of the human experience to tell your story in your own way! 

Below I've shared some of the doodles I've done so far in the Ballpoint Doodle Handbook. Every picture comes with instruction and/or tips which makes it easy most of the time, but the most interesting part for me so far has been noticing a personal style emerging! 

Do you like to doodle? If so, I'd love to see them!