Doodling & Zentangling for Attention

I’ve been doodling a lot lately. It’s a good thing. Doodling helps keep me focused in meetings or in class. I’m actually more apt to speak up in class when I doodle so it doesn’t look like I am not paying attention.

When I don’t doodle my thoughts veer off on a personal tangent based on a comment brought up in the discussion. Or I mentally critique the speaker’s clothing. It’s certainly not living in the moment, and can be embarrassing if the teacher looks to me for an answer to a question.

Several years ago I bought a Zentangle kit as a Christmas gift for my son. He’s creative and had done some sketching so I thought he might enjoy Zentangling. He never touched it. Eventually I opened the kit and began to Zentangle.

There are all kinds of books, classes, and websites to learn how to doodle in the Zentangle way. I really appreciate the approach to this type of doodling – there are no mistakes, only new ways to doodle!

This type of doodling has been a learning experience for me. I consciously give myself permission to be imperfect and welcome mistakes. “Mistakes” are lessons in impromptu creativity, acceptance of what is, and ongoing courage to put marks on a blank piece of paper.

I try to do whole-page doodling (edge to edge). I don’t have many Zentangle patterns in my repertoire so the same ones tend to show up a lot. Sometimes notes appear among the doodles.

Zentangle the alphabet (this is supposed to be my folder for today’s to-do list). One year my friend Deb Zentangled the word “Joy” for her Christmas card. It was beautiful.

Experiment: combine smash painting with doodling.