I’ve always been a doodler. If I’m talking on the phone, there’s a 50/50 chance I’m sketching something. I’ve never really liked talking on the phone, so maybe this is my way of coping with a necessary part of life and business. I often sketch my grocery lists too. I don’t save them or post them online – it’s just a small way to bring art into daily life. If I could unearth notebooks from high school or college, I’d find the margins filled with patterns and random sketches.
Over time, the things I drew while note-taking during learning opportunities changed. I began to sketch relevant things too. As the two things came together, the sketching and the note-taking, I found that doodling images about what I learned helped me remember things.
Here’s an example of notes from We Are City [SUMMIT] which took place August 22, 2013.
I had no idea that there was a movement around this habit until earlier this year, when Lydia told me about the hashtag #sketchnotes.
Amazing internet rabbit hole alert! @lydiology just told me about the #sketchnotes hashtag. So there goes my productivity.
— sara mcguyer (@sara_mc) August 28, 2013
Sometimes I wonder if people think, “Oh, you’re doodling. You’re not paying attention.” It’s exactly the opposite for me – it actually helps me focus. It’s cool to discover a whole community of people who feel the same way. There’s even a recently published how-to book.
And now that I’m in the know, I’ll plan to write a little more neatly.
This post is part of Think Kit by SmallBox
Today’s prompt: “What did you make this year? Whether something personal, like a song or some art, or a work project, share your process and the end result of your creation.”