When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college – that my job was to teach people how to draw. She stared back at me, incredulous, and said, “You mean they forget?” ~ Howard Ikemoto

I love this snippet of dialogue between a father and a daughter, an adult and a child. It almost offers the memoir equivalent of flash fiction. There’s just so much packed into those few words.

I find it easy to imagine a young child innocent enough to ask this question and in turn to be flabbergasted by the possibility that adults, despite all of their presumed wisdom and experience, might have forgotten how to draw. It’s refreshing to witness this youngster unscarred by judgment and condescension, jealousy and spite. A student too young to have been reprimanded by a teacher, “Stop doodling. Pay attention! Take notes…”

Did you Forget How to Doodle?

Do you remember when you knew how to doodle? Back before you were convinced that it was wasteful?

Even if you don’t recall your childhood doodles, allow me to assure you that they existed. We were all doodlers once. And the it’s not too late to remember how. Now. Try it. Without goals or timelines or judgment. Perhaps even without an audience.

Don’t worry about how to doodle. Pen, paper, pencil, cocktail napkin, smart phone… The tools are almost infinite. And the techniques are infinite. And no rules. Well, perhaps a strong recommendation or two:

• Have fun.
• Don’t take yourself (or your doodles) too seriously!

And remember, if you doodle something really cool, we’d sure love to safe it on the blog! And even if your doodles are bizarre, unrecognizable smudges, we’d enjoy taking a look. Shoot us a photo with a tip on how to doodle. Thanks.

Related articles

• How Doodling Can Make You More Successful (entrepreneur.com)
• Food for Thought Friday: Do You Get Mad at Kids Doodling? (dasdivy.wordpress.com)
• School of Doodle: The Online Campaign to Unleash Girls’ Creativity (mashable.com)