#65 Art Therapy
I love to make people laugh.
But sometimes I just don’t feel funny.
Sometimes I’m decidedly “bleh”.
Meh.
Floopy.
When that overwhelmed-by-current-circumstance mood descends, I often turn to doodling.
I used to commandeer random bits of paper found while aimlessly cruising the house. (Somehow it didn’t feel like doodling unless it was on scrap paper.)
Then I discovered the iPad pro and an app called Procreate. It took doodling to a whole different level.
Now I could not only add color and patterns to my scribblings, I could take one doodle and turn it into countless variations. Procreate also has a cool feature that turns drawings into time lapse video. It has been exciting to play with all the gadgets the program has to offer. (And it’s very affordable - I think it cost me something like $8.)
There is also something surprisingly soothing about the way the apple pencil glides over the glass surface of the tablet. Very Zen.
It was an especially helpful distraction when I had eye surgery and found myself unable to do most of the things I rely on to stay sane. The detached retina and follow-up surgeries left me with vision in only one eye for over five months and there was a chance my eyesight would never fully return to normal.
Did I mention this was in 2020?
During Covid?
Talk about a funk.
One of my lowest points for a while.
The doodling was a true lifeline.
One of the best things about doodling is that anyone can do it. You don’t need artistic training or fancy tools. (Not even an ipad, really.) And the doodle does not have to look like anything.
It’s amazing how truly uplifting a creative outlet like this can be.
Sadly, creativity is largely undervalued in our society. It’s considered something “extra” or “secondary”.
Which is a shame because it is the creative side of humanity that helps us through difficult times – both creators and the folks enjoying the benefits of the creativity of others.
It sure helps me.
Try it.
On your mark, get set, doodle!
Copyright© 2024 Anne Morse Hambrock All rights reserved.
Doodles
Here is a peek at a few of my doodles - video versions of some of these, including the video of the doodle for this week’s poem are in a link below:
Original line and one version of what I turned it into.
Original line and two versions of what I turned it into. (I actually came up with 6 more eventually.
Four doodles heavy on patterns and vaguely “crittery”.
Four absracts…
To see time lapse videos of some of these - and another one of the doodles I made while recovering from eye surgery click here. Each video is less than 30 seconds long.
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Blooming
Another batch of cheerful Lilies.
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