Do You Doodle?
Some people might not see doodling as a form of
art, but I do. I am the person sitting in church with flowers and butterflies
penned on my sermon notes (see picture), or the woman in the office with
sunflowers and swirls on her calendar. According to psychologist, Jackie
Andrade*, drawing while listening assists the brain in retaining information.
Evidently, while I’m doodling I’m not daydreaming. Instead, I’m actually paying
attention. That’s good news for me. Making tiny pictures can add to the creative process, too. My imagination flies when I draw. And, it's relaxing :o)
Are you a:
~Daisy doodler – drawing flowers or fanciful
mini-art
~Shape doodler – drawing squares, circles, hearts,
etc.
~Fill-in doodler – coloring in empty spaces
~Name
doodler – write names and outline or draw around them
~Anything goes doodler – as long as your pencil’s
moving you’re happy
Do you doodle? If you do, what kind of doodler are
you?
*Psychologist, Jackie Andrade initiated a
challenge to forty people. While listening to a boring phone message, twenty
people doodled while they alternately recorded names mentioned on the tape. The
other twenty only recorded names. As a result, the doodlers recalled 29% more
information than the people who only listed names.
ANDRADE, J. (2010). What does doodling
do?. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 24(1), 100-106.
doi:10.1002/acp.1561