DOODLING AS ART, THERAPY & CREATIVE PROCESS...

Department holds seminars every week & one of the topic of seminar was ‘Doodling’ presented by our M.Sc students- Ms.Nusra, Ms.Zohra, MS.Shruti, Ms.Narmada, Ms.Shazia, Ms.Sundari & Ms.Abhinaya. A small write up on what they presented is below.

'The analysis of doodling should be part of the clinical procedures of every psychologist or psychiatrist. The messages are there, after all. No one's surprised that an electroencephalogram can chart brain waves using a stylus attached by way of electrodes to the brain. The only difference with doodling is that we use a pen attached to the brain by nerves and muscles.' 

                                                                                                           - Dr Robert Burns

Doodles may be shapes, patterns, drawings or scribbles – anything we produce in an idle moment while the focus of our attention is elsewhere.It's the easiest thing to do and easy on the common media, such as paper, pen and pencil. These actions are often referred to as doodling.

Doodle art is sometimes capable of reassuring its creator. The more the work is made with feeling, the more exciting work produced. It makes this kind of work is not just a mere drawing activity, but also has depth of meaning and style. It is safe to say that doodling has been around at least since the oldest cave paintings (that would be since the Aurignacian period (about 40,000 years ago).  Around 3200 B.C. pictographic record keeping in clay began in Mesopotamian society.  Pictures were drawn in clay to convey information and some of the tablets that have been found have included random decorated edges and images on the margins of the dried clay pieces.Moving considerably forward, the medieval monks called doodles “probation pennae (proving of the pen).  Doodling seems to be an integral part of human nature, there are medieval manuscripts that have margins covered in scribes names written over and over or the same spiral patters repeated in random order and margins.Doodle as we know the term nowadays seems to have come from Mr. Russell M. Arundel who wrote a book called “Everybody’s Pixillated” (1937).   He defined doodles as:  “a scribble or sketch made while the conscious mind is concerned with matters wholly unrelated to the scribbling.”Before the 20th century doodle wasn’t actually about drawing, the closest term in English was scribble (but of course, scribbling is not doodling).

Why do we doodle?

We often do it. We often don't realize it. Often, when caught doing it, we are embarrassed to have to explain it. Surprisingly, these nonsense scribbles we leave behind on notepads, paper margins, desktops, walls and anywhere else where pen can leave a trace may have meaning.

•        To work creative
•         To avoid being tense and frustrated
•         To express their feeling
•         To be occupied

When and where do we doodle?

1.      Schools and college

2.      Travelling

3.      Alone

4.      Work place

5.      Social gathering.

According to Forensic examiner, Andrea McNichol “Doodling is like the brain’s DNA. It’s a representation of what the brain thinks subconsciously. Hence by looking at doodles one can figure out the doodler’s personality inclination, basic behaviour and desires. As we doodle without thinking our doodles can be very revealing – like Freudian slips or body language that we are not consciously aware of.

Doodling geometrical shapes may indicate that the person has got a rational and logical way of thinking while doodling arrows and ladders may indicate that the person is ambitious, obsessed about some goals and looking forward to some achievements. Doodling stars may indicate optimism and hopefulness and doodling houses may indicate that the person is missing his home, wanting a family, or wanting to settle down.

IQ doodling, a relatively new concept is the process of turning thoughts and ideas into structured visual notes, symbols and words on paper. It helps improve memory and recall of the information, to present complex ideas quickly, easily and effectively andhelps to focus on the most important and relevant points using a combination of words, pictures, diagrams, graphs and charts.

Doodling not only increases the memory of an individual but also deepens our knowledge. It helps us to explore our own inner self. Hence children have to be encouraged to doodle from an early age. It’s an indirect way to exercise our mind as a result of which our tension gets reduced. Lastly we should incorporate doodling in our daily lives which will increase our mental capacity and open our nerves to enhance our creativity.

The seminar on doodling also looked upon the various researches conducted on doodling. A study by W S Maclay, E Guttmann, and W Mayer-Gross (1939) found that doodles were produced during states of idleness, boredom, leisure, meditation, and “affective tension”—indecision, concentration, expectation, and impatience. A study by Jackie Andreasaid (2009) found that when we doodle, we don't daydream. According to his theory, daydreaming demands a lot of the brain's processing power and it requires “Executive Functioning” Doodling forces the brain to expend just enough energy to stop it from daydreaming but not so much that you don't pay attention. A 2011 study showed that students who doodled not only retained more information, but they also reported more enjoyment and engagement with the course material.

The seminar also covered the concept of art therapy. Zentangle a way of creating structured designs through drawing various patterns, used as a therapy. It has multiple benefits including calming an anxious mind, increasing self-confidence, and cultivating moment to moment awareness. A case study about how a 21 year old girl named Molly used doodling as a way to get over her depression was shared.

Several Professionals opinion was also taken with regard to doodle

A management consultant quotes that “Doodling is basically a pre-visualizing tool. It is used as a way to envision a plan through a sketch or patterns and then build it up gradually. Doodling, according to me, is not an art form, but a means by which we direct our thoughts in the right direction. I doodle when I have to convey my thoughts to someone else. When I am talking to a client, for example, I use doodling as a medium to convey my plans illustratively. There should be some story and objective behind a doodle. Currently, in fields like advertising, designing etc, doodling is becoming a mandate. There are various applications in Google which allow two friends to share their thoughts by way of doodling. ”

A designer quoted as “Doodling is very subjective. For some it is a way of letting out their thoughts while, for some, it is a pastime. I doodle when I am either bored during meetings or when I get some ideas. Nowadays, doodling has also become a medium of meditation. There is one meditation technique called Zentangle, which is simply doodling. So doodling also serves the purpose of meditation and therapy.”

Doodling is not just a way to “think differently;” it’s a way to “feel differently,” too. From emerging studies we are learning that art expression may actually help individuals reconnect thinking and feeling, thus bridging explicit (narrative) and implicit (sensory) memory. The wonderful thing about doodling is that it is a whole brain activity—spontaneous, at times unconscious, self-soothing, satisfying, exploratory, memory-enhancing, and mindful.

Keep calm and doodle on... :-)