In November, I stumbled upon Paper Darts’ doodle therapy post and fell in love. I was sad at the time. I’d been writing about what was making me sad in my morning pages, and though it helped to get it all down, it was also tough going. I sometimes felt wiped out at the end of three pages (or four, or five, or six). All those words forming all those questions and so few answers.
And then, doodle therapy. I loved the two words together. Doodle. Therapy. They made me smile.
I doodled my first picture. I wasn’t “getting at” anything. It was, instead, about the spaces, the dark and the light of things, the way that shapes fit together and fall apart. It was about lines and shadows, and the non-linear movement of my pencil on the page.
It was freeing. I did it a lot. In meetings. On the phone. Instead of my beloved morning pages. I doodled. I didn’t understand the pictures at all, but they felt like answers in the way that dreams sometimes do. Not because they make sense (my dreams rarely make sense), but because they come from a part of myself I have no control over. They spill out of me while I sleep – part memory, part worry, part wild imagination. The doodles were like that. Wonderful, wordless, often inexplicable, pieces of me.
I asked you all to share your doodles, to play. I was worried no one would want to, but you (like always) delighted me. I got more than I thought I would and they’re wonderful.
So, here it is. Zebra Sounds’ first ever Doodle Extravaganza!
Hippiechick, supercharged a to-do list while on the phone
Pam, doodled in response to my doodle post
- Dillon, stolen from notebook
- jb, doodled over coffee
- The Boy, doodled in his classes over the course of a day
- Amy, the doodle that melted my heart
- Dillon, another stolen from the notebook of awesome
Simon, haiku doodle
- Simon, It’s hard to see but the background is made of song titles
- me, doodle therapy
- Hippiechick, doodled during a meeting
- Karen (from Mentor), what doodle collection would be complete without a happy monkey?
- Milli, doodling cartoons
- Pam, doodled in response to my incessant begging for a new doodle
- Dillon, doodled in a meeting (inspired by a This American Life tale)
Needless to say, I loved doing this. It’s one of my all-time favorite posts. If you liked it too and would like to do it again (especially if you’d participate), let me know. Nothing would make me happier than recurring doodle posts. (Well, a few things would, but they’re not so easily achieved.)
Thank you to all the doodle heroes who played with me. You definitely rocked j-world. xo
carl jung was a big fan of using drawing and painting to tap into the parts of us that don’t think with words by doing just this and drawing whatever appears on the paper or in our minds.
its something that I do from time to time. in fact I just stopped drawing towrite this.
I like to work with artists coloured pencils and do depth and texture in what I draw. :)
That’s just what it was for me. I was a little used up, word-wise. Doodling was a release. If I call for doodles again, I hope you’ll send something. *gives you puppy dog eyes*
Yaay! Doodle on.
Pam
You are the doodle master, Pam! I am awed by the wildly imaginative way your wordless mind spills out!
Hee. This was fun j. My angst releasing doodling comes out in the form of abstract paintings. I have a post about the most recent one if anybody’s interested. It was called “I need a cabana boy” and has a photo of the painting :
http://miscellaneousyammering.blogspot.com/2010/09/i-need-cabana-boy.html
Thanks for including my happy monkey. He was honored.
:0)
Oh, not as honored as I was to include him. I love “Windstorm.” Happy sigh.
I’m glad you loved Amy’s doodle so much because that’s about how most of mine would look. :-)
I am amazed and impressed by the artistic quality in all of the doodles.
Thank you SOOO much for sharing this with us.
I did love Amy’s doodle (though, technically, it was Amy’s daughter’s doodle). So, you should have no qualms about sending me smiling stick figures in the future! Just do it, girlfriend!
Done!
Doodles will be on their way to you when you call for them next.
And that is why I’m so crazy about you!
underrated cookie? – snickerdoodle
If you draw me a snickerdoodle, I’ll happily show it to everyone.
Just outstanding. LOVE. IT.
Me too. You guys are great!
This is great. You seem to draw readers from the abnormally-gifted-doodler segment. When I was a kid I doodled on everything — books, homework, nothing was off-limits. You’ve inspired me to get back into the doodling game. Thank you!
Abnormally gifted doodlers made me laugh. Somehow I suspect doodling is just one more of your many talents, Michele. If we do this again, I will come knocking.
Wow, everybody’s imagination in their doodles was INCREDIBLE!! This gallery blows me away. It would definitely be fun to see more doodle samples.
P.S. Thank you for including my little blue mouse :~)
Are you kidding? I was ecstatic to include your blue mouse!
I can only draw with words, and even then…
What a fantastic set of doodlers, not to mention doodles, you assembled here, J. Extraordinary!
If I could draw, I have a feeling I would never stop – which might not be a bad thing, come to think of it.
I look forward to seeing more of your doodles – if only so I can feel envy. :-)
Well, as Simon proved, haiku and doodles are not necessarily mutually exlusive. Something to think about…
loved, these, judy… thanks for sharing. I might even contribute next time. I was suffering from doodle envy.
The nice thing about doodling, at least for me, is I was less inclined to look for answers. There is something freeing in that.
Oh, yes, I want to see everyone doodling! It’s so wonderful to see the things people do when their minds are in that particular gear.
I think it was last year that I read about a pub in London where are all the surfaces were meant to be be-doodled. I was tempted to go just to doodle on the car they had out front for opening weekend. #expensivedoodle
Cheering all the potential doodlers on!
Me too. Feel like a doodle evangelical. Oh, oh, let’s start a… not church… a collective, maybe?
So, it’s funny. We all, as normal functioning adults, have an ability to deal with a variety of sensory input — sounds, visual stimuli, feelings, scents, or in this case, thoughts (jpages). When we’re at a meeting, or giving a speech, or doing something really scary that could possibly get you ignored or ridiculed. We find things to help us control the sensory input around us so we don’t completely freak out at all we are being asked to deal with — some twist their hair or tap their pen or shake their leg or some doodle. Doodling then, actually becomes an outlet so you can sort through all the other things — it regulates the senses.
I think these are remarkable but I’m particularly taken with Simon’s — not because I’ve had a huge crush on him ever since I first saw him in that adorable kilt either.
Definitely does something very unwindy in your head, and freeing when you’re used to working exclusively with words. I love Simon’s too. I’m looking for All Along the Watch Tower and Hey Joe.
These were fun to see… like others, I fear my doodlings aren’t terribly artist, but I’m tempted to give it a try now! thanks.
Yes! Doodle. The thing about doodling is that it’s so not about being “good.” In fact, I’m betting if you try it, you’ll find it’s about this awesome thing I can’t quite name. Except to say that, yes, it’s therapeutic. (Do it. And send it to me!)
Loved the doodles… I didn’t send mine because they are just chicken scratch…from when my mind is occupied while on the phone with clients
I too loved Amy’s :~)
I’d have posted chicken scratch! Doodles are supposed to be chicken scratch, or in any case, a sort of mind dump. I bet yours would be awesome. If I post doodles again, and it’s kind of looking like a consensus here, I hope you’ll play.
my snickerdoodle cookie doodle, with assistance from six year old Carly “Goose”
http://twitpic.com/3kkmsj
Ha! It’s perfect. Please tell your assistant that she has fans!
I vote for more doodle posts! Love the peek into everyone’s creative minds; so much talent! (And clearly, talent runs in your family – holy cow!)
As you can tell from my doodle, my subconscious expresses it’s needs very clearly – more coffee please! :-)
Me too (voting for more doodle posts)! And thank you, but I pale by comparison to D and The Boy. I adore yours. Your subconscious is expressing my needs to. Especially on Mondays.