I know that sometimes it’s hard to find the time to fit creativity in to a busy day. I also know that part of what gets in the way for many is perfectionism feeling like there is no point in creating unless it is going to meet our expectations of turning out “just so”.  But what if you can fit in your creative break in the midst of a busy day. And what if it happens to make you more focused and productive?  Here is a wonderful Ted Talk that addresses the benefits of doodling.

So here is what I propose:  allow yourself to doodle whether at work, during a meeting, when you need to take a mental break from work, or perhaps while you are passively commuting (not while you are behind the drivers wheel of course).

The Doodle a day challenge:

Everyday, beginning October 1st for the month of October you will make a doodle. It can be as simple as black ink on white paper or white ink on black or coloured paper or you can do a line doodle and colour it in. It’s up to you. Work on it as little or as much as you want, but make sure you finish each doodle.

Forget about perfection or how  the finished product “looks”, have fun with the process and go with any “mistakes”.  If you look at my doodle example unfolding here you can see the lines are quite uneven, the patterns are not symmetrical, I switched from marker to water-colour crayons and pencils, whatever was calling to me in the moment.  I also did each “step” of my doodle quickly, putting it aside and coming back to it.  I began it in the car (passenger seat), continued it outside on my front porch, then finished it up at the kitchen table.

Doodle Drawing Challenge Loose Guidelines:

• Stick with the doodle (you can come back to it) until it feels done to you.
• Not all doodles will be done in one sitting.
• Not all doodles will have colour added.
• Not all doodles will be worked on over the day.
• It can be as small or as big as you wish.
• It can be drawn on any paper. You may find it easier to follow the challenge though if you to choose a journal to do this challenge in or keep your doodles in.  This way you can track your doodles and if you choose to do the optional free writing about your doodle (see below) you can write about them.

The main thing is that you doodle everyday and finish each one. Do what you can and share it online as a way to keep you focused on doing the challenge and perhaps for some accountability.

An optional part of the doodle challenge:

For those of you who would like to use the doodles for self exploration you can take it a step further by free writing about your doodle after making it. Describe what you  see and then reflect on any metaphors or symbols you notice on your written response.

Follow the Challenge and Share your Doodleaday Journey!

I will be posting my doodle a day on the ArtTherapist.ca website and sharing it on Facebook and Twitter. If you would like to join in, you can share a link of your doodle from your blog or Facebook page over at https://www.facebook.com/arttherapist.ca or post it on Twitter tagging @drawingselfout with #doodleaday or Instagram with  #doodleaday and tag @petreaadamidis

Two more days and we will begin! Grab your pen and your paper and I will see you then!