“Creativity is magic. Don’t examine it too closely.” ~ Edward A. Albee.
Doodling is creative magic.
(September 2016 post.)
If you have doodled while talking on the phone (more difficult these days with smartphones), or while in a lecture hall, you know that doodling is very relaxing. However, doodling can be important visual aids, can help you pay attention, (students swore their doodles did help them concentrate), or suggest creative ideas much like brainstorming.
Have you ever watched children paint or draw?
They don’t worry too much about the outcome of their playful experiments; they quickly get as much colour and shapes on the paper in front of them.
Adults forget the importance of play. Everything has to have a purposeful end result.
Doodling is by definition an absent minded scribbling.
In reality, for most of us, doodling is just another form of fidgeting when we are forced to stop our more purposeful activity.
Today, there was no goal. I was just having fun splashing paint around, another creative exercise. I added doodles to a few of the flowers I painted.
So remember Albee’s words…don’t examine these flowers too closely!
The background for this rose is so soft and dreamy. Since watercolour painting can have the same relaxing effect as a more “traditional doodle”, I decided to include this flower without the doodles.
The repetitive movement of the doodles over the flower below is very relaxing, much the same I imagine, as colouring in those adult colouring books that are all the rage.
Artists seldom throw anything away. If it doesn’t look right, doodle over it. Perhaps it might be used as a background for another painting? Or upload it into an art app and use it in an entirely new creation. How about cutting it in pieces and using the failed doodle as a collage? The possibilities are endless.
Doodles appear anywhere…on paper napkins, cardboard,…and even on leaves. Read this blog post to see how autumn leaves are transformed by doodling – fallen leaves also nurture the creative spirit.
Albee was right.
Creativity is magic.
What shapes emerge from your doodles? Flowers? faces? geometric forms?
To find out what your doodles mean, read Sheila Lowe’s observations; she is a graphologist and president of the American Handwriting Analysis. or in this article, Ruth Roston, a professional handwriting analyst and vice-chair of the British Institute of Graphologists provides doodling insights.
Do you agree with their assessments?
Absolutely! Keep drawing!
That is easy to do…housework can wait, right?😉. Thanks Sue.
Lol!!! Yes!!! 👍
Hello Louise, firstly, love your new header board… and once again you have proven yourself to be so eclectic in your different expressions of art. Love every one of them. As you say, utilise every piece you paint/draw, others will always appreciate a piece of you.
Thanks Sally. Only another artist would understand the need to keep everything and anything for future art projects.