This summer I spent a few months traveling in Europe. All I had with me was a sketchbook and some clothes. I drew all the time: When I saw beautiful things, when I was bored, when I was waiting for a train or on a bus. Keeping a sketchbook like that was great because I was always thinking visually. When the semester started, I had stopped carrying a sketchbook around me and I had gotten out of the habit of drawing all the time. For one of my education classes, I was asked to keep a doodle book. Although I was skeptical at first, this turned out to be a great way to get back into visual thinking mode. Instead of day dreaming, I began to day doodle again.
I think a doodle book is a great way to help kids who don't normally think in “art” to access a visual language. Doodling is not intimidating and it actually comes naturally to most people. By allowing that creation the chance to emerge on its own, children are given a point of departure for when they want to create art with intention. It is a great chance to have a sort of personal visual dictionary for yourself.
