Diving into Doodling: Unlocking Creativity Through Art

Scribbles, lines, squiggly lines—really, what is doodling? I'm sure that throughout your life, you have tried doodling. Personally, when I was a kid, I used to have a notebook full of doodles about my favorite cartoon characters because I was an avid fan of various cartoon shows. Years and years forward, I've come to find that I actually find doodling to be therapeutic, and so it has become my hobby.

As a writer, coming up with ideas to write about sometimes can be extremely difficult, especially when I am faced with a writer's block, which is a moment where it becomes hard to continue writing largely due to a lack of ideas. This is where I've realized the power of doodling. Doodling has helped me come up with ideas to write about. When I want to write about something, I usually doodle it first and then convert it into words.

I know this might not make sense to you now, but just stay with me for a couple of minutes. In the later part of this article, you will learn why this works and how it makes sense.

What's the Buzz About Doodling?

First, let's define doodling. Doodling is the act of idly drawing sketchy lines or any pattern while thinking about something. For example, when you are bored, it might be that you are watching a boring video or listening to a podcast that just does not seem to pique your interest, though I don't know the reason. We tend to draw random things—we doodle—when we are bored, whatever the reason.

Doodling is more than drawing random squiggly lines. Doodling is actually our brain's way of staying focused when our mind is engaged but not fully occupied. It can also be a form of relaxation for some of us, referring to what I've said in the section above. Ever since before, doodling has been therapeutic for me, and it is among the things I do to relax.

Doodling can be liberating. Doodling is a liberating art form. In doodling, you are not following a certain style, unlike any other art form. You are free to draw how you want it to be drawn. There are no set of specific guidelines to follow. You are free to fully express your creativity and personal style.

Getting Your Doodle On

How can you doodle? When doodling, it's essential to have the necessary materials. You can go and grab your favorite pen, pencil, or markers—even other art materials such as crayons, etc.—to make it colorful. Also, get yourself something to doodle on, such as a notebook or a piece of paper. If you have all of the materials ready, you can proceed to the next step.

Set the mood. Setting the mood can be as easy as finding a comfortable spot and listening to music. Personally, I prefer to listen to relaxing music while doodling. The key point here is to just let your ideas and imagination flow. You don't have to think in a certain way; just let whatever it is that you are thinking of be.

So by now, you might already have a couple of ideas running around. When doodling, it is important to note that there are no right ways of doing it, and therefore you should not be afraid to make mistakes. There are no mistakes in doodling—just a couple happy accidents!

Let's Explore Doodling Styles

Though this might seem contradictory to what I said earlier, just to clarify, when doodling, there is no set of rules to follow or a specific "style" set that should be followed. However, there are various styles of doodling that you can try; one is Zentangle.

Zentangle is a combination of Zen and Doodling (tangle). Zen is a mental state in which no emotion or thought binds you, and on the other hand, tangle refers to the mixture of patterns created that are composed of dots, orbs, lines, and curves.

In addition to that, there are also other styles of doodling, such as stendoodling and mandala, which I will not be covering in this article. If you are curious what these other two styles are, feel free to explore. Having personal adventures can be fun, and I don't want to spoil it.

Why Doodling Rocks

Doodling can be extremely fun and relaxing. Reflecting on what we have discussed so far in this article, we can say that doodling is indeed a positive activity with a lot of benefits. Doodling can relieve your stress and boost your creativity! According to what I stated in the first section of this article, doodling helps me write, including this article. When I was doodling, I actually came up with the idea to write about doodling.

In summary, doodling can be an effective way to relax and pass time, and at the same time, you can also use it to inspire creativity. There are no right or wrong way to doodle. Doodle is a free art in that it lets you fully express your creative side. Now is your turn to doodle. Have fun!