Tuesday morning doodle. All tied in knots. Actually, this is about how the left side of my back feels this morning, now that I think of it: all tied in knots. Major spasm since Sunday night—ugh! 😜 Hopefully doing my shoulder rehab will help. I’ll try rolling on a rubber ball for a bit first, to try and loosen up the spasmy muscles. 🖍
In any case, making art always puts me in a good mood and lowers my blood pressure. Doing this doodle made me so happy! I did it in a sketchbook instead of on a postcard. I decided to take all the pressure off—this doodle is unlikely to be sent to anyone, so if truly is pure creative sandbox play. Just for me. And guess what? That’s almost always when my best stuff comes out! 😅 Or at least my most free stuff. Which is usually my best stuff. 🖍
How can you free yourself up to play more? For me, it was switching back to a sketchbook today. What about you?
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#creativesandboxcommunity #creativesandboxchallenge #doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay #blackandwhite #pigmamicron #visualjournal

Late night doodle, just before going to bed. Somehow the gremlins didn’t bug me so much tonight, perhaps because I was “just doodling” in a sketchbook before bed. No harm, no foul, from their perspective. 😉 And from mine, it makes me giddily happy to PLAY! Pure play in the creative sandbox, letting my inner 4-year-old inhabit the tip of the pen and have free rein.
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This Saturday I’ll be doodling live—pens, paints, the whole shebang—on streaming video. It’s a Virtual Playday to celebrate my birthday, and you’re invited! Totally free. Come watch me make art and share my process, make art alongside me (virtually), and ask any questions you want (about anything you want!) It’s totally free! The only catch is you have to register in advance at http://bit.ly/2CEGAwg (or click the link in my Instagram profile). 🖍
I hope you can join me at this live-only event! 😊
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#creativesandboxcommunity #creativesandboxchallenge #doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay #blackandwhite #pigmamicron

Sketchnotes from yesterday’s seminar with East Side Institute, “PLAY: A Luxury for the Privileged or a Necessity for All?”, moderated by Carrie Lobman. I was so pleased to be introduced to these play activists! Olga Jarrett, Paola López, and Omar Ali. Each using play to change the world. Bravo!
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#play #eastsideinstitute @carrielobman #sketchnotes #sketchnote #sketchnotearmy #visualcommunication #graphicrecording #visualnotes #pigmamicron #moleskine #playactivist #playactivism

Gratitude to @evalottchen for giving me a formula for drawing a handshake in her latest newsletter! This has always stumped me, but @evalottchen broke it down into an easy-to-follow series of steps, which she shows in a delightful animated GIF at the bottom of the email! Bless you! Now I have a fool-proof system I can always fall back on! 🎉🍾🎈
#teachersarethebest #visualcommunication #sketchnotes #visualnotes #handshake #graphicrecording #graphicfacilitation #visualthinking #vizthink

You would not believe how loud my “this is a waste of time” gremlins were when I started playing on this doodle today! Yes, I have those gremlins, too—just as bad as anyone else. We teach what we need to learn, after all! 😊
My gremlins snarl, and moan, and rave at me that this abstract doodle CRAP that I do is dreck. A complete and utter waste. They tell me I should be drawing REAL THINGS. PEOPLE. ANYTHING but what I’m doing. That I’m frittering away whatever pathetic scrap of talent I might actually have. That EVERYTHING I do is stupid, and why the **** do I even bother anyway?! 🖍
Some days it’s very hard not to believe them. But when I’m able to thank my gremlins for their concern, send them off to get pedicures, and go right on ahead with the business of playing in the creative sandbox, you know what? I start to care less about what they say. Because the fun and the joy and the FEELING ALIVE start to take over. And when I feel alive, whether what I’m doing is a “waste of time” according to someone else ceases to matter anymore. 🖍
Are there other skills I’d love to hone? Yes, indeed! AND I still need creative sandbox playtime, and I always will. It will never be a waste of time, no matter what the gremlins might tell me.
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Go make a mess. Go play. It’s good for your soul, and that’s never a waste of time. .
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#creativesandboxcommunity #creativesandboxchallenge #doodle #dailydoodle #dailycreative #dailyart #imperfectionism #letitbecrappy #artistsofinstagram #artistsoninstagram #doodlesofinstagram #tinyart #abstractart #doodleart #creativesandboxway #creativeplay