I find it kind of hard to write an introduction for myself, so I’ll do it from the perspective of my dog (Patton, the little one): “I don’t like this article very much because I – hey, your breath smells like pizza. Do you have any left? Can I have some? Seriously, you don’t have any left? I can smell it still. OK. Fine. Anyway, I don’t have opposable thumbs so I can’t doodle, but – hey, is that a crumb on your sleeve? It doesn’t look like food, but it might be food, so I’d better try. Hmm. That definitely wasn’t food but I wouldn’t say no if you had some more. What was I saying? I’m suddenly so tired. I think I’m just going to – zzzzzzzz….” -Patton Conradt
That Kid From Superbad Ain’t Got Nothing On Me
by Stacy Conradt
If you didn’t know me very well, you might think that I’m on meth. Or uppers. Or some sort of behavior-altering drug. See, the problem is this: I cannot sit still. I mean, if I’m sitting at a computer writing or something, sure. But I can’t just sit and watch TV or watch a movie (except in a theater when I am pretty much forced to). I have to be surfing the Internet, writing an article, knitting, crafting, something. It drives my husband insane.
So, in meetings and/or classes I tend to make lists, take notes, doodle, fill the spaces in words and numbers in. I just can’t sit still. I’ve been told that doodling and the like makes it look like I’m not paying attention, but in reality, keeping my hands busy allows my brain to concentrate on what I’m hearing. If my hands aren’t busy, my mind wanders. I make mental lists, think about groceries we need, things that need to be mailed, bills that need to be paid, what needs to get done… it’s endless. So the doodling is actually a good thing.
Turns out, though, my scribbles put me in good company. It’s been documented that Keats liked to doodle flowers in his medical notebooks and Ralph Waldo Emerson doodled scrolls and decorations all over his composition books.
Some people even make a good living from their doodles.
Dennis Hwang
The name Dennis Hwang might not ring a bell, but I bet you know his work: he’s the guy who does Google logos for special occasions. Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Fourth of July – you already know he does those. But did you know that he doodles for lesser-known “holidays” too? You can see a whole archive of them at the Google Holiday Logos page.
Sergio Aragones
Sergio Aragones has been professionally doodling in the margins of MAD magazine since 1963.
Shel Silverstein’s
Shel Silverstein’s books just wouldn’t be Shel Silverstein’s books without his drawings.
Check out a few more famous doodlers below:
George Washington
(that’s his checkerboard work)
Twiggy
Ronald Reagan
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York
Richard Pryor
Patrick Stewart
John F. Kennedy
Richard Nixon
Elton John
You can usually tell my mood by what I’m doodling: loops and scrolls mean I’m happy or in an OK mood; squares and sharp angles mean I’m agitated or stressed. I don’t typically doodle people or things… just random shapes and squiggles. Are you a doodler? What do you doodle?
Check out the rest of our College Weekend festivities.
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I doodle…penguins. Lots and lots of penguins. Sometimes I throw in some owls and frogs, too, and I usually incorporate swirls.
posted by Jen on 2-10-2008 at 2:49 pm
I tend to draw eyes. I have notebooks filled with them. People, birds, seals, squid and random geometric shapes also fill pages and margins. I have entire Broadway shows and circuses dancing across the top of several math books.
posted by Scriblerus on 2-10-2008 at 5:24 pm
Diane von Furstenberg was a doodler, too– a stylized doodle of her first name became a print for a fabric she used in her line of wrap dresses.
posted by mamacita on 2-10-2008 at 5:34 pm
I have a friend who loves to doodle Donald Duck EVERYWHERE- paticularly on school blackboards. Where doodles don’t belong.
posted by Anon on 2-10-2008 at 6:06 pm
Since when have doodles not belonged on school blackboards?
And all these years….
I kid, I kid.
I doodle everything from random geometric shapes to actual pictures to random fast scribbles that I turn into pictures. You should see my church bulletins…(I totally listen…I’m the same way about keeping hands busy. :D)Arrows and block shapes are common. I know I’ve seen things about analyzing your doodling. I think I actually started doodling arrows after reading that people who doodle arrows set high goals and plan to succeed.
posted by Eileen on 2-10-2008 at 9:58 pm
Me too! One of my middle school teachers actually called me Ronald Reagan because I doodled constantly.
I doodle pretty much anything–animals, objects, patterns, landscapes, people, and on and on. Lots of patterns, actually, kind of stream-of-conciousness doodles, if you will.
posted by frumpiefox on 2-11-2008 at 1:22 pm
I can’t pay attention in class and to a lecture unless I am doodleing. Everything from random geometric shapes, to my name over and over again to swirls and random shapes, plus random flowers and things I think are animals. Got some good grades cuz of them.
posted by Lorena on 2-12-2008 at 4:08 am
You’re not just a doodler, you’re a fidgeter, of which doodling is but a subset.
As an OT in a public school, I’m in the process (as are many OTs around the country) of getting folks comfortable with the idea the fidgeting is actually a GOOD thing. As you said, it helps folks concentrate. For me, it’s putty. I bring it with me to every conference, meeting, etc; folks look at me funny, but when they realize I’m listening (I question everything) it’s usually ok.
A lot of the kids I work with could use fidgets, if only their teachers would be ok with it. Course, I do have other kids who would much rather play with the fidget then actually do work so…guess it goes both ways *grin*
posted by Alli on 2-13-2008 at 7:06 pm
“But I can’t just sit and watch TV or watch a movie (except in a theater when I am pretty much forced to). I have to be surfing the Internet, writing an article, knitting, crafting, something. It drives my husband insane.”
Me either… I can’t just sit and watch TV except for very few select cases. I have to be doing something else, usually of an organizational nature, haha. I am okay in the theaters because there is nothing to distract me, haaha.
posted by Sarah in CA on 1-30-2009 at 4:28 pm