Doodlebot is BACK! I needed some pure playtime in the #creativesandbox this morning, so I pulled out a postcard and started to doodle. I asked myself my favorite question, “What if..?” (That’s from #creativesandboxway Guidepost #6, btw. 😊) What if I did something *different* from what I would normally do? At each juncture, make a *different* choice!
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This #doodle is the result! It has elements of things I’ve done before (knots, repeating patterns, line quality, and of course, Doodlebot), but the lines intersecting the knot doodles without actually touching them—that’s new. And the knot doodles not being “complete,” but sort of dangling in space—that’s not typical for me.
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Try going against the grain today! Do the opposite of what you’d normally do, or something different from your usual maneuver. See what happens. We all get in ruts, and there’s nothing like trying something different to shake up new ideas and get you into a fun, new groove. 😊
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#creativity #doodle #doodlesofinstagram #doodleart #originalart #abstractart #pigmamicron #imperfectionism #dailycreative #dailyart #dailydoodle

You guys! I have my first practice gig for visual notetaking on Sunday!! I’m excited and FREAKED OUT, because it will be the first time I’ll be doing this with people watching! GAAAAAHHHH! Here is a sketchbook page of ideas for icons for Committee reports. I’m really not crazy about “Adult Ed.” I’ll see if I can come up with something I like better.
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Next task: cut several sheets of 4’x5’ paper, to be ready to put on my 4’x4’ board when I get to the venue on Sunday. I plan to tape up several sheets before we start, so I can tear them off when I’m done and keep right on going.
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Also: – Make sure pens are fully inked up
– Make sure I have sticky notes, white-out tape, and pencils also in my satchel
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I recently placed an order from @neulandcom for a carry bag for my foam core boards. Crossing my fingers that it arrives on time! 🤞
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#graphicfacilitation #visualnotes #visualthinking #visualcommunication #visualnotetaking #originalart #imperfectionism #learning #graphicrecording #graphicfacilitator #visualfacilitation

Day 16 of the July #creativesandboxchallenge inside the #creativesandboxcommunity: door knocker. I used to agonize over getting everything so precise, so perfect. For a self-assignment like this, I would have pulled out straight edges and rulers, driven myself crazy to get it just-so. 🖍
In fact, I spent more time NOT making art, because nothing I created could ever live up to my impossible standards! THAT is what I call “perfectionist paralysis.” It’s excruciatingly painful, because NOT creating when you have the hunger to express yourself through making stuff, causes psychic distress. First it makes us feel lousy. Cranky. Angry. Annoyed. Sad. Then it leads to an unexplained depression. And worse. You start spending money on stupid things, trying to fill the void. Or eating. Or otherwise self-medicating.
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Really, what you need is simply permission to play again! To create like you did when you were 4. When it wasn’t about impressing anyone, but simply about following your curiosity.
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THAT is why I developed my Creative Sandbox Way™ Guideposts: out of desperation to dump the perfectionist paralysis so I could get back to creating again! I knew PLAY was the answer. PLAY was the doorway to the kind of creating I needed—NOT the stultifying meticulous creating I’d been doing, with straight edges and rulers. I needed to MAKE MESSES, like a little kid playing in a sandbox!
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That’s why I practice INTENTIONAL IMPERFECTIONISM today. I embrace the charm of the wobbly line. It has life that the perfectly straight line will never have! And it will NEVER squeeze the life out of me by taunting me that it isn’t perfect enough, because it’s not *trying* to be perfect!! 🖍
When I practice intentional imperfectionism, it confuses my gremlins. And when my gremlins get confused, they bump into each other and wander off, instead of snarling their nastiness at me. Woot! Win!
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It takes practice, but it’s worth it. It helps to have a community who is also practicing with you, like my Creative Sandbox Community for women. We support and encourage each other, cheering each other on. 🖍
I’m opening the doors next Tuesday to new members. Check the link in my profile. #originalart

Playing with color in my sketchbook. Knot doodles and Neocolor II. .
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#doodle #doodleart #doodlesofinstagram #creativesandboxway #creativesandboxcommunity #sketchbook #imperfectionism #originalart

Today is day 15 of the July #creativesandboxchallenge inside the #creativesandboxcommunity, and today’s prompt is “monastery.” I did a Google search on “monastery icons,” and here are four attempts in doodle form. Symmetry is clearly not a strength of mine! 😂
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I love thee monthly challenges, because they help me expand my visual vocabulary. Other members use them as writing prompts, or to practice drawing skills, or for photography, or poetry… it’s up to you. But it’s always so fun and inspiring to see what other members come up with!
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And the Sandbox is a safe place to share. Not everyone feels comfortable putting their creative efforts out for the world to see, but in the Sandbox they know they’ll get a gentle, loving reception. It’s like getting your bearings in the shallow end of the pool before diving head-first into the depths of the ocean! The water’s fine, and the life guards have your back. 😊
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We inspire each other in so many ways in the Sandbox. In just over a week we’re starting the Great ClutterBust—3 weeks of clearing out the stuff that’s taking up space and weighing us down, so we can make space for what’s important! 🖍
When you see other people share “before” and “after” pics, and hear their successes, it motivates YOU to take action and finally tackle that Closet of Doom you’ve been putting off dealing with forever. I’ve got piles of junk from last year’s kitchen renovation that I still haven’t gotten around to that I’m targeting for clutterbusting. 😊
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Wanna join us? Get on the waitlist here: http://bit.ly/2pPbRDZ I’ll be sending more info this week!
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#visualnotes #visualthinking #visualcommunication #monastery #vizthink #neulandmarkers #doodle #originalart #dailydoodle #doodlenotes #creativesandboxway