Grab some paper and pencil to prepare for our next step in making a creative life — with doodles! According to an article by Healthline, drawing doodles a few minutes a day has many rewards. The tactile, meditative process of doodling can provide relaxation, regulate mood, improve memory, allow for creative self-expression, and open the mind to problem solving. When you doodle, your brain is not totally disengaged, so it gets a relaxing workout, kind of like taking your body on a stroll through the park.
I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way — things I had no words for.
Georgia O’Keeffe
Activity: Free-style doodle
To enjoy more doodling structure, try the Zentangle method. Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas developed this art form in 2003. I had purchased a book years ago and use it for spontaneous creative moments.
Here are some of my Zentangles:
Bonus Activity: Try some Zentangles
Check out this video of creating different Zentangle patterns by She’s so Crafty on YouTube here.
How did these exercises make you feel? If your goal is to problem solve, after you finish your doodle, try to brainstorm solution ideas. Could you enhance your experience by listening to music? Try reading some Bible verses before you doodle so you can meditate on God as you draw and listen closely, as He may whisper to your spirit.
Have you always doodled or is this something new for you? Share your doodling experience below!
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
Psalms 139:13-14 NLT
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