about big doodles
this website is to celebrate the doodles of the world of all shapes and sizes
- to take a closer look at these neglected scribbles that sneak out of your head when you're least expecting.
i like the idea of salvaging tiny pieces of your state of mind from the scrap heap
and seeing them loom up larger than life, immortalised on the screen. i like ascribing meaning to insignificant things.
are you sure your doodles aren't trying to tell you something?
definition of 'doodle'
doo-dle:
–verb
1. to draw or scribble idly: He doodled during the whole lecture.
2. to waste (time) in aimless or foolish activity.
–noun
4. a design, figure, or the like, made by idle scribbling.
5. Archaic. a foolish or silly person.
Origin:
1935–40, Americanism; orig. sense, fool (n.)
contact me
drop me a line: felicity [at] bigdoodles [dot] com
see my doodles.
what does doodling do? | a scientific paper about doodling.
ever been told off for doodling during lessons in school, or felt guilty for scribbling your way through a boring work meeting? I have!
a recent research study into doodling compared two groups of people
listening to a long and boring telephone conversation.
one group was allowed to doodle idly as they listened, while the other group wasn't - and neither group was told there was a surprise
memory test at the end of it. the study found that, far from hindering your ability to absorb information, doodling can actually help! results:
"...the doodling group performed better on the monitoring task and recalled 29% more
information on a surprise memory test. unlike many dual task situations, doodling while working can
be beneficial."
andrade, j. journal of appl. cognit. pyschol. (2009)
doodle interpretation
what does your doodle mean? things you doodle repeatedly might be trying to tell you something.
shape matters!
emotional people who want harmony and love tend to draw things with circular or rounded shapes (circles, spirals, flowers, hearts, eyes, fluffy clouds, waves etc)...
down-to-earth, practical people who need security and like to be in control tend to draw things with square shapes or material things (boxes, houses, doors, windows, stairs, chessboards, towers, money, numbers)...
determined people who need an outlet for their mental and physical energy tend to draw things with triangular or pointed shapes (stars, arrows, zig-zags, diamonds, stick figures, kites)
but it's not just the shape of the doodle that is revealing. the energy of the pen stroke, the size of the doodle,
or even the position of the doodle on the page can all give insight into the doodler's psyche... find out more about what your doodles might be trying to tell
you on the
national doodle day website.
