The Secret Ingredient of Doodling

1. Introduction: I guess my name is John Storm, and I'm an artist. In our educators, today's class is about exploring the secret ingredient of doing. We're gonna talk about what that ingredient is. We're gonna talk about how you can use it in your own doodles, and we're gonna explore three different projects, help us take the secret ingredient and take our duels to the next level. So let's dive right in. Let's get started and thank you for joining me on this doodle journey. 2. Why doodle?: now, guys, before we talk about what that secret ingredient doing is I want to share with you guys. Three reasons why I think do league is important. You may ask yourself, Why would I do with all the things I have on my to do list and how busy I am? Why's it important to make time to do well? I think there are a lot of reasons, but I'd like to share with you guys simply three, that I feel like our very important number of one Doodling and Cruz focus and concentration . It's scientifically proven that people that practice Dooling and exercise their doodle muscles, they grow in their concentration and ability to focus. I think in the business and the craziness of our daily lives, it's important that we cultivate this time to simply slow down to focus and concentrate. The second reason I think dueling is very important is because it activates different parts of your brain. You know your brain is an amazing mystery, is what I would say, and there's different regions and different parts that responsible for different activities , different abilities, from speaking into logic. We've all probably heard of sort of the famous dichotomy of the left brain and right brain left brain. Being more for your verbal skills, you're more logical skills on, then your right side is more given over to your expressive and your visual and your spatial skills. What doing does is that it activates all of those different regions almost simultaneously, and that's an amazing thing. It's like your brain and your neurons are lit up like a Christmas tree. Now I'm no neurosurgeon, but I know that something magical happens in the mind when you're doing, It's like all the lights start to turn on and all the juices start flowing, and I think that's an amazing part of the doodle experience. The last reason, which I think is almost the most important reason, is that doodling has this amazing power to reduce stress. I think all of our lives we're dealing with a lot of pressure, a lot of stress, anxiety and different things that are really challenging to deal with. Dueling has this amazing way to be like a like a pressure release to help reduce anxiety and stress, and when you do, it's like you're anchored into the present moment, you know, mindfulness is a very popular thing right now, and I believe dueling is a great mindfulness activity. So once again, great reasons. Why should doodle? There are many but improving concentration, helping reduce and lower stress and also helping you activate different parts of your mind and your brain. Those for me are great reasons to dive in, explore the magical journey of doing. 3. Doodling advice: so guys, before we continue and talk about what that secret ingredient is, we just talked about reasons why doodling is important. Also want to give you guys some advice on dueling before we begin thes air? Just a couple things to keep in mind when you begin doing. Of course, there's no rules with doing, but I think there's some things that are important to keep in mind. First off, when you doodle, I want you to think more about the process than the product that you create. It's more about the experience. It's more about the doing. It's more about what happens in that process of creating that doodle, that it is about the finished product at the end. Sometimes you'll have these amazing doodles that you're super proud of. Sometimes your doodles might be a little embarrassing. That Mackey little stranger weird, and that's okay. You know, there's that saying that says it's about the journey, not the destination. And that's true with dueling as well. Once again, it's about the process. It's about the experience and not simply what you get out of it with Doolin. We're not necessarily trying to make fine art that will hang in a museum or a gallery were just simply trying to enjoy the present moment of doing and what we're experiencing in the present moment, our thoughts and our feelings and what's going on, what we're seeing and what we're listening. Teoh. Those are the things we're trying to absorb and put into our duels. The last thing also which I think is most important, is just half fun. With doodling is all about having fun. I like to think of doing as a visual playground when you go to a playground. The goal is to have fun that goes to play, to just try something new and see what happens. So once again, with dueling enjoyed the present moment, don't worry about perfection. Don't worry about making it perfect. Have fun with it and let's see what happens 4. The Secret Revealed: Alright, guys. So here we go. It is time to talk about what that secret ingredient of doing is Are you ready? Okay. That secret ingredient is distraction. What can make your doodles so much better is being distracted. While you're doing so often for many of us, when we draw our when we create, we are focused on the task at hand and we have a clear goal of what we're trying to do and achieve. But with doodles, it's a little bit different. Something magical happens when you're distracted when you're, say, talking on the phone when you're watching something, when you're listening to something. When your mind is involved with a completely other task, doodles can also take place. Like I mentioned earlier, one of the benefits of doing is activated different parts of your brain in your mind. And I think that is so awesome that while the mined concentrates on something, it can also focus on doing at the same time. So once again, that secret ingredient is distraction. And with our class projects, we are gonna look at three different ways we can distract ourselves and doodle at the same time. 5. Supplies Needed: one thing I also want to mention guess is supplies that you'll need. The cool thing about doing is that you don't need a whole lot of stuff. You can definitely use as much as you want or as many supplies as you want, But all you really need is something to write with and something to write on. Could be a pencil. Could be a pen. Could be just a piece of paper. Me personally, I like to doodle in my sketchbooks. I always have a couple different sizes that I'm working on. Also like to have just a few random supplies. Makesem markers, maybe some pencils making some pens. Just a few random, I guess. Options to use as I do. Another waking doodle is on a device whether you have a phone or whether you have a tablet or an iPad. If you have a drawing program or if you have just kind of a different after you like to use , you can use those also for doing Those could be a lot of fun, but you also don't need fancy equipment. The great thing about doodling is that it's very low tech. All you need is a piece of paper napkin opposed to know in something toe right with you could do, though pretty much any time anywhere. And that's what makes it so great. So once again, as you begin your doodle journey and as you jump into our class projects, grab materials that you want or simply work with something simple. All right, so those are some things to consider before we get started. 6. Project 1 - The Listening: Alright. Guess so Next it's time to talk about our first class project. Remember that with these class projects we are gonna be doing while we're distracted by something, I think with project number one, we're going to star, you know, Pretty simple pretty, I guess. Easy. They're gonna slowly work our way up. Nothing is gonna be too difficult, because once again, doodling is all about stretching your creative muscles with where you're at. But here is Project number one. With this project, you're gonna distract yourselves with music. I think all of us have music that we love to listen, Teoh. And for me personally, when I'm drawing when I'm creating music is a huge source of inspiration. So here's all I want you to do. I want you to set aside about 10 to 15 minutes. I want you to select some music that you feel I could inspired you as you do. You could make yourself a little playlist. You could simply go and hit shuffle and, you know, explore some random songs. But as you begin, I want you to keep in mind that you're gonna be listening, Teoh and immersing yourself in some type of music could be your favorite music Could be music you've never heard of before, which I think would influence your doodles in a pretty awesome way. But as you're getting started with this dual, you've got your supplies. You've got your paper, your tablet, your sketchbook, your whatever. You've got some type of device that can help you listen to your music. I want you to immerse yourself in that experience. Now you may get started and you may have this thought of like I don't know what to do. Well, an easy thing to do when you're stumped where you feel like you're kind of block is simply , Just start making shapes. Take your pen, take your pencil, and on that surface, simply start making random shapes As you listen to your music. Try to think about the music and not so much. The doodles let the doodles come naturally. Let the lines and let the shapes and let the patterns and the ideas start to flow Naturally . Try not to think too much about them and trying toe sense yourself or evaluate as you're doing something I like to do is listen to the music and the word kind of jumps out or get stuck in my mind. All include that word in my doodles as well. Okay, so with this projects, like I said, take about 10 to 15 minutes. Put on some of music that you can listen to while you do. One thing I also like to do is sometimes I'll even label at the side of margin or the bottom. What? I was listening, Teoh. Why? I was making this doodle. Okay, so I can't wait to see this duel with Project number one. You've been distracted by music in the project images for this project. So don't forget the post your image to the project board. And I can't wait to see a comment on those projects as well. All right, The next video is gonna be a time lapse of me working on this doodle while I'm listening to music so you can check it out before you begin your own or go ahead and I challenge you to dive right in to your own doodle while you're listening and distracted by music 7. Example Doodle 1 - The Listening: 8. Project 2 - The Watching: All right. Well, I hope you guys have fun with project number one Dooling and distracted listening to music . But let's talk about project number two, OK? Like I said, with these projects, they're gonna kind of support one another and they're gonna build on one another. And where with Project number one you were doing while I guess on Yoli is that word audio? Lee, What I mean is like you were engaged with your auditory sense. You're listening sense, Okay. With project number two you're gonna be doing while engaged with your not Onley auditory sense, but also your visual sense with project to I want you to distract yourself by watching something as you do. It can be done. One of my favorite things to do lately is to watch episodes of The Simpsons and Doodle at the same time. I watch a little bit. I'll do a little bit. I'll take something a word or picture, and I'll include it in my doodles. And what I'm watching really informed what I'm doing. If there's a funny phrase or a joke or something kind of pops out or word or name, all included right there in my doodles. Sometimes I pause it to kind of sketch out a funny characters face or something random. And that's the great thing about doing while you're watching something. So what you watch is entirely up to you. Could be your favorite TV show. Could be the news could be a movie or a Siri's that you're watching. But with Project number two, I want you to doodle and let what you're watching somehow inform your doodles in a creative way. Like I said, it could be information you take in or things you hear. And it could influence your doodle once again. If you think of it, maybe try to label a margin of the side of the bottom with what you were watching as you created this doodle once again, don't forget, have fun with it. It's not about making a perfect doodle because there's really no such thing. It's all about immersing yourself in watching something fun, enjoyable and laying that creatively influence your do. If you can't think of something to do while you're doing this just to kind of get the ball rolling, start by making spirals. Author Linda Berry encourages people that are creatively blocked start simply by making spirals. And sometimes I just think that's a great way to get the ball rolling. Okay, so once again, this video is gonna be followed by a video. Me. I created doodle while watching something. But I also want to see your doodles in the class projects posted as well. I can't wait to check him out. And I can't wait to see what you guys come up with. All right. Thank you. 9. Example Doodle 2 - The Watching: 10. Project 3 - The Conversing: Okay. Now. Sorry. Let's talk about Project number three. We started with listening something for Project one with project to You're listening and watching something with Project three, you're gonna be engaged in a different type of destruction, and that is the distraction of conversation. Okay, this project is gonna be you doodling something on your tablet in your sketchbook on a piece of paper. Whatever. While you're engaged somehow in a conversation, that conversation could be somebody right there in the room with you where you guys are talking and you're listening in your gauge your conversing. But you're also doing at the same time. That could also be done on the phone. Sometimes I'll, you know, do toe visiting with my parents on the phone. They live pretty far away from me. And so, while listening, I'll be sitting there doing and listening, conversing but able to do at the same time. It could also be through zoom calls or face time calls lately for, you know, my work. I've been doing a lot of zoom calls, and that is some of my favorite time to get some serious doing done. Now, the crazy thing about doing while you're listening and conversing with someone is that although it looks like you're not paying attention, that well, you maybe not giving great eye contact you may be, you know, look like you're engaged in something else, Obviously, because you're doing the crazy thing is is that study show that you're listening and your comprehension and your memory of that conversation and of that information shared increases dramatically while you're doing. I mean, how many of you guys maybe got busted or in trouble in school for doing while the teacher was talking? But studies show, you know, science says that you're actually able to comprehend and absorb that knowledge so much better while you're doing once again, I think it's back to the different parts of your mind and brain are activated in the process and experience. I do so once again set up some type of conversation. Maybe during a zoom meeting or facetime call or with a friend or family member in the same room, get your sketchbook or whatever, get your materials and start doing a shoot for about maybe once again, a 10 15 minute window as you create this doodle. What did you if you can't think of anything. Well, simply take some of the things you're talking about, words that stick out to you, things you want to remember. Topics covered in that conversation even notes. But some of those notes and ideas that information could turn into doodles and ideas as well. Once again, random shapes, spirals, different lines. Those could be great starting points to kind of get that doodle ball rolling so I can't wait to see your doodles posted in the projects below on once again, have fun doing being distracted by conversation. 11. Example Doodle 3 - The Conversing: 12. Conclusion: so, guys, I wanna thank you so much for joining me with today's class journey through these different types of dueling and different types of distraction. Whether it's listening to something auditory Lee once again not sure if that's a word watching something and also engage in conversation. Hopefully, these different experiences and different projects help you dive a little bit deeper into exploring the wonders of doing. Hopefully they helped you. You know, you leave a little bit of stress and pressure in your life and hopefully they helped you activate different parts of your brain. I'm sure they sort of exercise your muscles and focus and concentration. But most importantly, hopefully they were fun. I want encourage you to continue your doodle journey. Think about it whenever you listen or watch something doodling is always an option. Leave your comments below. I love to see what Natalie you guys created, but also what you guys thought of this class you so much for joining once again. Minutes. John Storm. I appreciate