Ever since my girls were little (with them, I tend to use the term, when they were knee-high to a grasshopper) they have been doodlers. In fact, pretty much since they were able to hold a pencil or a marker, we have had different options for them to draw, sketch, and doodle. These have included an easel with a blackboard on one side for using chalk and a whiteboard on the other for using dry erase markers. They also had Magna-Doodles for a number of years as well as other creative project options for drawing, including oversized sketch pads, sand trays, and finger paints. Because of this, when we moved out of our rental house, I spent several days snapping pictures of their various art projects.
A few years ago we decided to add digital art options to their materials when we bought our 17 year old an iPad so she could start using Procreate. A year or two later, we bought an iPad for our 15 year old, at first anticipating she might want to try photo editing or even filmmaking. However, they are both now as prolific with digital art as they are with pencil and sketchbook art. It’s impressive to say the least.
Recognizing the benefits of drawing and doodling for mood regulation, creativity, and especially for focusing, when we do school my girls know they are welcome to get out a sketchbook or their Procreate program and draw while we’re reading together. Despite the science that backs up the fact that doodling can often help with focusing, my girls often recount that they were often reprimanded in their charter school classes for expressing their desire to doodle or draw during class lectures, even when this option was included in their IEPs.
Today, as we pulled out our most recent William Shakespeare read—Hamlet—my 15 year old asked for assurance that she could draw while I read Hamlet and her sister immediately replied, Did you really just ask for permission to draw? She asked this because she is so used to simply picking up her iPad or sketchbook to draw, she is used to knowing that it’s okay for them to draw or doodle when we’re doing some of the denser readings we tend to do. And I love that about her, that she doesn’t question that she knows how her brain works and focuses best. Actually, I love that about and for both of them. I love that they determine what they need when we are doing school because it’s a good opportunity for them to figure out their strengths and how to work within them.
This is something I realize my 15 year old sometimes wrestles with more than her sister, mainly because my 15 year old struggles with perfectionism. This is something she and I are working to address, and one of the ways we’re doing this is having her draw something badly every day. As soon as I introduced this idea, she immediately responded with a question: but, what if it turns out perfectly? Obviously, I told her that would be fantastic, but explained that the point of this daily exercise is more about encouraging her to draw and be okay with it not being the perfect image she has in her mind. As a fellow creative, I assured her that I understand her desire to create the “perfect” piece of art; but I also reminded her that we both know there is no such thing as “perfect.”
As she has moved through this exercise each day, I have loved watching her push against her perfectionist standards and simply enjoy the process. Again, I realize more than she does right now just how challenging this daily doodling process is for her, but I love that she has shown up to do it anyway. And I have thoroughly delighted in her sharing her results with me, that I get to watch her draw upon her doodling prowess to not only challenge her ideas of having to be perfect, but also watching her addressing some underlying anxiety in the process. I love her commitment and her resilience. And I love that my two girls have in each other someone who supports them in their creating and their creative process. It is an absolute joy to see how they encourage one another and how they each are using their art to navigate other areas of their lives.