Sometimes I’m overcome with fear when I sit down to draw. I open my beautiful Moleskine sketchbook and stare at its perfect antique ivory pages and there I am… stuck… I either have no idea what to do, or more likely, so many ideas that I can’t settle on one and start drawing.
What?! You’ve been there?! I don’t seem to have a problem just doodling, with or without a fully formed idea, but there’s something about trying to work on a precious or pristine surface that can be a real obstacle to creativity. To get around it, my favorite remedy is the tried and tested no-good, down and dirty “junk doodle”… Grab an envelope, a direct mailer, a magazine, lump of wood, pair of old shoes… well anything… and get doodling! There is something so pure about working on something that is basically valueless to begin with… There’s no pressure for the work to succeed so the doodling gets looser and more creative – it can become practically zen-like.
With it being one of my favorite doodle ways, I’d like to encourage everyone to have a bash at a “junk doodle” – Incentive? (ahem)
