Doodling could be the trick for tuning out the noise of never-ending to-do lists, faculty meetings, and endless emails

Now more than ever, you may need a sense of calm and rootedness. Of small, simple moments. Of deep connection to place. And, a parallel quietness of mind.

I'm thinking about that this week because I've been fighting a lingering sinus infection for the past month. It's been brutal headaches, gut-wrenching coughing, and fitful sleep if any. And I'm tired. I have felt suspended from the things that ground me, like walking my dog, hiking, and making pottery -- because I've been to miserable to do much.

Given it's only the second week of the semester, I've been pondering how to keep some equilibrium.

And, I'm circling back to what I do to suspend time and pause the do list in my head.

My trick is to sketch something small and interesting from the natural world.

Sketching is a powerful way to direct your attention and create a sense of focus and calm.

I've written about and studied this for years, but sometimes I forget to circle back to this practice myself.

Sketching the little things I notice or get curious about helps me reinforce my sense of place by making personal connections to to specific, local organisms or phenomena. Reconnecting or re-affirming these connections to tangible, visible, and appreciable life then helps me remember there is an immediate and necessary physical world that I can notice, engage with, and appreciate -- even when it feels like everything else in my life and the world is totally out of control.

If you sketch your observations regularly, you, too will begin to build a sense of place, whether you observe snails in a window flower box, weeds growing through cracks in the sidewalk, or migratory birds in a wilderness area. This sense of belonging and connection is increasingly vital as more and more people report that they feel isolated, alone, and hopeless about the state of the world.

Now, all this might sound like more of that self-help woowoo that pushes systemic problems onto individuals.

And, I hear you. As I write about and work toward all the time, systemic change is about changing the system, not about whitewashing the system and making individuals feel even worse about themselves.

But, to be honest, we all know that big change usually takes a while. Sometimes generations. And it takes all of us. And if we are individually in no condition to show up, because we are totally endangered by the systems around us, overwhelmed by all our commitments and expectations, and/or despairing that any of it will make a difference, we're not going to be able to contribute to the collective work of making the world a better place.

As I've navigated that gray area the past several years, I've learned from a lot of really wise people in and beyond academia. The key takeaway is that we do have to tend to ourselves in order to help others. And this sketching practice is one way I've found to do that.

More recently, sketching has become one of my favorite ways of approaching the practice of object meditation.

Now, I'm no yogi, but the basic idea of an object meditation is to "take time to smell the roses."

You do three things:

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1. Notice something specific, otherwise unremarkable, and pause in your day long enough to really see the details, colors, smells, textures, sounds, etc., of something like a flower bud on a shrub, or a glittery pebble on the ground or a flock of geese threading through the sky overhead.

2. Review and commit those observations to memory.

3. Send a wish out into the world that someone else will similarly notice and appreciate something today.

My favorite combination of these practices is to notice something like that flower bud, or a small pebble, or a leaf with an interesting pattern of insect bite marks. Then, I'll pick it up and either take it home or sketch it right there (see my earlier post about how to pack a teeny sketching kit so you're always ready to sketch). And, I like to write a haiku about that object or moment at the end of my day.

The best part is that haiku and the sketch occupy my complete attention while I'm creating them.

Which means, for those moments, I cannot be distracted by how full my inbox is (or that I can't figure out why Boomerang Inbox Pause isn't working again!), or how it's Monday and we always have a "what's for dinner crisis" on Mondays, or that there are not enough hours in the day for all the meetings people want to have, so when are we supposed to actually get anything done!!?!?

Don't worry if you're "not an artist"!

If any of that spiraling sounds familiar to you, maybe give this idea of noticing something a try. And if you'd like to try using sketching to extend the calm pause of doing an object meditation for a few minutes longer, you're in luck!

Years ago, I created a little pocket guide that details the fun, whacky techniques that professional artists use to warm up, move past the blank page, and channel observation into discovery and delight. This little guide can get you making scrappy, scribbly sketches in just a few minutes.

You'll also learn about some techniques for letting go of your concerns about perfection or any "I'm not an artist" worries. Because, the key to doodling to regain your focus is that it's really not about art. It's about focusing, noticing, and moving your hand, eye, and mind in coordination long enough to pause the to-do-list mayhem in your mind. Don’t worry if you're not making “fine art.”  Without much training, it is still possible to render what you see in a way that informs and pleases you. (And, even though most of us trained in academia are conditioned toward competency or excellence, it's fine for sketching to be a novice practice for you! Being a beginning learner is good for our brains and a good counterpoint to our need for perfection.)

Even better, if you're reading this because you first found my work on science communication or on art-science integration, this kind of sketching has strong foundations in your work in science! You may actively appreciate the connections.

The history of art and science are closely intertwined.

Prior to the advent of cameras, scientific inquiry required drawing. Additionally, people all around the world with an interest in the natural world have been making drawings of what they observed for thousands of years. For example, cultures like the Blackfeet use a documentation process known as the Winter Count, drawings that record major events.

More recently, people trained in science were trained to make basic drawings of what they observed.  Their illustrated journals and drawings persist as tangible records of discoveries, adventures and personal experiences.

This ability has lapsed as a public tradition, but it persists in some ways – as a profession (scientific illustration) and as an avocation for many naturalists and enthusiasts of the natural world.  Certainly, professionals like Cathy Johnson, Clare Walker Leslie, and John Muir Laws make it look easy while sharing their knowledge with us all so we can join the fun.

Put another way, drawing is not a domain exclusive to the pros.  Without much training, it is still possible to render what you see in a way that informs and delights you.

Even in the digital age, hand-rendered reflections of the natural world still possess the power to transfix us, and make us long for the ability to do something like it.

Furthermore, researchers such as Felice Frankel and her colleagues have demonstrated that drawing (even without training) can help clarify what you know, assist instructors in assessing student knowledge, and refine public communication efforts by identifying key concepts.

Want to know more?

If you’d like to know more about how drawing can contribute to science learning, teaching, and research, see my sketching guide and my sketching tips on this blog. If you’d like specific training, contact me to discuss how I can help you can tap the potential of drawing to enhance science education, research, and communication with collaborators. In particular, I run a research project and instructor support program called Drawn to Science. Through this program, we investigate the impacts of teaching instructors how to integrate drawing back into field and lab courses. Learn more here.

Once you try these sketching exercises, be sure to share how it goes!  I’d love to help with your questions and get your feedback.