“A doodle a day keeps you creative all day!” Ever heard that saying before? Ok, I made that quote up, but this saying is my motto. A little something about me – I am addicted to doodling! There are days that I don’t get to draw and I feel a little out of sorts at the end of the day. Between the kids, work and the endless laundry, I have to schedule time to draw or I feel like my day is incomplete. In keeping with this month’s theme, I wanted to share some of the things that have worked for me and my creative process. Please keep in mind that drawing is my creative outlet, so just substitute “drawing” with what you love to do.
My suggestions to get your creative juices flowing:
- Keep a notebook (or any type of paper) and pen close by. Having your tools close at hand makes it easier to draw something when you get a chance. Another idea is to have different pieces of paper strategically placed around your house that you can doodle on. For example, if you frequent the fridge (like I do), attach a piece of paper on the door and doodle something quick before you grab a snack. The key here is to get into the practice of getting things down on paper.
- Just make a mark. A blank page can be totally daunting, but making that first mark feels great – just do it! Go ahead, it doesn’t have to perfect – you’re just doing this for fun.
- Draw anything! (Really!) A cup, a shoe – anything… Sometimes it’s hard to get inspired to draw, so check out these two books: The Creative License by Danny Gregory and Drawing Lab by Carla Sonheim. These books are a great resource for me when I need to find inspiration.
- Let go of perfection. For a long time, I made the mistake of thinking that everything that I drew had to be absolutely “done” and perfect – Talk about a hang up! I dreaded my sketchbook because drawing seemed like so much work. After I let go of this feeling of perfection, my drawing time became more enjoyable and even peaceful.
- Make the time. Take the time to just draw even just 15 to 20 minutes a day. Your skills will continue to improve and you’ll be surprised at how many times you’ll have to get new notebooks.
A little bonus: I wanted to combine my love for doodling + stationery and give you some doodle mini notes to color and use. These mini notes can be used as labels and gift tags. Plus, it’s a fun little activity to do with little ones on rainy days – you know, color the doodles and write a little note to dad, grandparents, or teachers. Just click the image below to download your set of doodle mini notes: 
I hope you enjoy!
