Oodles of doodles
I have recently found myself sketching again, and it has brought back many craft making memories✏️🧡✨🎨
The inspiration for this piece came from a moment that occurred last Saturday. I was meeting friends for a coffee and cake morning, and two of my friends brought out journals, which they had filled out themselves and also given to other people. They were full of all sorts, from pictures, to writing, to recipes and doodles, this then inspired me to write this piece.
A few weeks ago, I rummaged through my drawers to find some colouring pencils. I knew I had them somewhere and when my fingers found the tin, which was pushed to the back of the drawer, I felt triumphant. The pencils were given to me a long time ago, I could go so far and say I’ve had them over 15 years. I was gifted them one Christmas alongside a book filled with patterns and shapes for the purpose of mindfulness colouring. I dipped in and out of the book for a few years and then completely forgot about it and the pencils.
Then all of a sudden, after many years passing, I had the urge to draw and sketch again. Interestingly it coincided with me actively trying to reduce my screen time, instead of reaching for my phone I reached for the pencils and some paper, and then over time it became a therapeutic action rather than a distraction technique. Having a blank, crisp A4 sheet of paper in front of me, along with the tin of pencils, sends me into a zone of release and relaxation. I have found that the rhythmic nature of drawing and colouring refocuses and re-centres me.
I never know what I am going to draw, sometimes I scrape the pencils across the paper, almost in a fury, and as time passes each stroke releases whatever is pent-up inside of me. Other times I draw flowers and trees or draw something that is in front of me. I believe whatever I am trying to release or think about results in what I end up creating. I also have a habit that appears every once in a while, where I like to trace around my hand and then fill it with patterns and shapes. I have found that the repetitive nature of continually drawing the same patterns calms my nervous system.
I was always someone who appreciated art and liked to doddle on pieces of paper and create collages and take photos, but drawing was something I hadn’t really focused in on. One time I really wanted to learn how to sketch and paint fashion pieces, so my friend very sweetly brought me paint brushes, a watercolour palette and a work book. But I gave up practically before I even began. I think to be honest, I was trying to run before I could walk.
When I was at school, if we ever had to do a poster for a presentation of a subject, I always used to get a piece of paper, doodle, draw and cut out shapes. I would then stick the shapes around the poster to jazz it up and give it some decoration. I became known for this and whenever my school friends and I had to produce a poster, I was put on decorating duty.
During the school holidays my auntie used to take a week off and whether it was Easter, Halloween, or Christmas she would line up some creative activities for us to do at home. We made Easter and Christmas decorations from a craft set, painted pictures, made cards, bookmarks, and papier-mâché balloons. It really was a magical time, my paintings used to line up in the garage drying. My pictures were always abstract or objects, as I couldn’t draw people or animals (still can’t lol)
I have a couple of scrap books from my early childhood filled with my creations. I recently took one out from 1994 and couldn’t believe it when I found a painting I had done of flowers over 30 years ago. It was gratifying to see that even then nature captured me, as it does now.
I also found a collage I had made when I was a teenager, I find it fascinating that I had stuck pictures of Audrey Hepburn and Princess Aurora on the opposite sides of the page. Looking back now with some adult perspective, I feel like it represents the tug of war of being a teenager, clinging onto childhood but also wanting to be seen as a sophisticated adult.
Creating any kind of art or craft has been a very recent resurgence, as in the past it mostly happened during my childhood and early teenage years. I have found that this year, instead of documenting everything like I did last year, sketching and drawing has come to the forefront. It's like another part of my internal paper fortune- teller has unfolded and revealed a different hidden part of me. Drawing has emerged as another creative outlet for me to express myself and to help regulate my emotions and behaviours. Perhaps everything that came before it was the catalyst it needed to return.
Have you rediscovered something that was lost? Is there a hobby that you have returned to after a long absence?
“When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.”
Jean Shinoda Bolen