Creativity and Youthfulness: The Doodle Effect

Remember when you were a kid and you would doodle around? You drew whatever came to mind, had fun with it, and didn't really worry about the outcome of it. Like other things you did when you were young, this was a care-free activity that made you relax and let your creativity run wild. Now, think back, what did you draw? I can recall drawing smiley faces and little made up characters (like Mr. Teardrop :P. I'm assuming he was a tear of joy considering he was always smiling.) Most things I drew when I was a kid were generally joyful things. You may still do this when your bored and you have paper in front of you, it's just different content now. I've seen my mom doodle me and my sisters' name, hearts, and other random things while talking on the phone or avoiding calculating bills.


So I'm gonna go out on a limb here and ask you to pick this habit back up. That doesn't mean you have to draw the same things you did (it isn't like I'm going to draw a rendition of Mr. Teardrop), but it IS necessary that you put your ego aside with methods like this because it may seem a bit juvenile at first. But juvenile isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all , you ARE reading this blog to get back to your youthfulness.

But why is Youthfulness so important?

Youthfulness, in itself, helps to diminish the ego and in doing so, will help you to be happy and fulfilled. See, the ego isn't just the voice that tells you that you're better than someone, that's a misconception. It also fills your mind with thoughts of limit, lack, and feelings of not being good enough. Granted, I DO believe there are two aspects of the ego. The limiting side and the part that creates your personality, which is a more positive aspect. But eliminating negative beliefs will help elevate the positive side. The reason YOUTHFULNESS is important is because it enhances your creativity. Creativity is responsible for a number of positive things that could happen in your life and career.

Being creative is a very important aspect of intelligence and .. you guessed it, being successful and wealthy. Think of all the great innovators of our time, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Bono, Oprah, Deepak Chopra, and many MANY others. Do you see the pattern? They've created themselves and products by being innovative and in turn, they make a living off of their passions and make a HUGE impact on the world.

Also, just the simple act of imagining how you want things to be creates new avenues and pathways in your brain. Because of the LOA (Law of Attraction), you know that believing that you can get what you want is important and if you are able to see that in some way, like visualization, it makes the process much easier. When you're in a creative train of thought you are more receptive to the positive thoughts and images you create.

How you can fit Doodling into your schedule:

So you may think you don't have enough time to Doodle. I'm gonna call you out on that because you always have at least a few extra minutes.. and that's ALL you need. You can also do this while doing other things. Here's a question, do you watch TV? Any at all? You'll probably see that question pop up in other blogs where I talk about the 'I don't have enough time' excuse. ;) Here are some ideas of how to fit Doodling into your schedule:

1. Grab a paper when you're talking on the phone. This could be with either personal or professional calls. Watch what you Doodle with professional calls, you don't want to get yourself distracted from an important conversation.

2. Doodle in your journal, I do. Most of the time I wait until I get done with an entry. But whatever works for you is important. This can also work with poetry and songwriting.

3. Waiting times could come often in your life. The doctors' office, before a plane arrives, waiting for someone to pick up the phone, before a meeting starts, or waiting for your kids to get out of school when you pick them up. Instead of staring into the void like most people find themselves doing, this could be a productive time-filler.

4. Finish off with Doodling: Excluding important documents (because your boss may not be as open to this idea), you could just tell yourself to draw one thing at the end of a paper after you write on it or read it.

5. Create your own bookmarks: Write the title of the book in a creative way, draw things that pertain to the book. This should help if you 're drawing a blank on what to Doodle.

6. Keep a small notebook by your bedside and with you at all time. I do this anyway just in case I come up with any good ideas or hear about something I want to look further into (A good habit to pick up). This way, any spur-of-the-moment Doodles you come up with, you can do it on the spot.

7. I often like to listen to music, it's one of my favorite arts. You may get inspired to draw based on what you're listening to, so keep paper handy then too.

What should I Doodle?

You may think you can't come up with anything to draw. But the truth is, you're ALOT more creative than you may think. Don't stress yourself our about it. Look around, take some deep breaths to relax, and think about what comes to mind. You could simply start out with some squiggly lines, smiley faces, or something in front of you. You don't have to be an artist to do this. If you don't feel like you COULD draw what's around you, draw an interpretation, make it more cartoon-like, or abstract. The point is, make it your own.

You don't have to limit yourself to just drawing either. I sometimes writes mantras, quotes that I like, etc. Things that make you think HAPPY thoughts are a MUST though, because negativity stifles creativity. You shouldn't over-think, because this is all about boosting your youthful, happy side. When you were a kid, you didn't stress out about it or constantly think about the positive aspects of it, you just DID it. That's why I won't fill this post with studies, statistics, and scientists saying 'Yes, do this!' Although you should look more into it if you wish. I like to try things out sometimes before analyzing. However, I DO love some research so I completely understand where you're coming from if you decide to do some Googling for the Doodling.

So there you have it, something new for you to try. Like I said, I Doodle when I journal so I KNOW it lifts my mood and even gives me ideas for, I don't know, say future blog posts ;P. I actually write some of my posts in my blog journal first, so now I've decided to start Doodling in it as well. So I may give an update in future blogs of my Doodle-status.

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Thank you for reading my blog. :)

Peace
Latasia