Take a Creativity Break!

Expert: Dr. Laura JJ Dessauer, ATR-BC,  Board Certified Art Therapist
Link: www.thecreativityqueen.com

 

Are you feeling overwhelmed and stressed out?

When your brain is stressed out it becomes flooded with peptides and hormones and you may be unable to process information.

Take a creative break!

Color a Mandala- Trace a circle the size of a paper plate and use colored pencils or markers and fill in the circle with any pattern or designs. Notice how you feel calmer and more centered.

Play with play-doh- Squish the colors, play with shapes, smell the dough. These sensory activities will help you calm and self-soothe.

Do a brain dump- If you’ve got too many thoughts swirling around in your head you can easily become overwhelmed. Take a piece of paper and write down all the things that you’re feeling stressed about. Then rip it or crumple it up and throw it away. Pick one thing to focus on and give your full attention to that.

Create a calm collage- Look though magazines and cut out words and images that are calming and centering. Paste them on paper and put them above your desk. When you need a reminder, look at the image.

Doodle- Research published in the Applied Psychology Journal suggests that doodling while listening will help you remember details. Have a pad colored pencils or markers and a pad on-hand during your next meeting.

If you have stress in your personal life or you’re worried about other family members, art therapy can help. To learn more and receive a complimentary audio mini-course "Secrets Your Kids Really Don't Want You to Know:A Child Art Therapist Tells All" *(except for the confidential stuff)
visit www.thecreativityqueen.com

Book Review: The Doodle Revolution by Sunni Brown.

Book: The Doodle Revolution: unlock the power to think differently
Author: Sunni Brown
Released: 2014 (hardback)
Publisher: Portfolio/ Penguin  

Where did I discover this book? 

Stephen Pressfield is the author of one of my favorite books, “The War of Art.” It is a book about fighting resistance and creating things (like books). I follow Pressfield on facebook.

He posted a picture from the Doodle Revolution by Sunni Brown that included a one-page doodle about The War of Art. I knew I had to read it. I loved this one page doodle. I thought it would be awesome if the doodle revolution book was a book of book reviews using “info-doodles” like the one about Pressfield’s book. However, the Doodle Revolution attempts to change the meaning of a doodle and teach people how to use it.

 

Some useful tips I discovered from author/ book:  

·         Many great people were doodlers. Some of them include U.S. Presidents: Eisenhower, Regan, LBJ, Clinton, and Kennedy.

·         Many breakthrows and discovers have been made by doodlers.

·         Doodling is not a mindless activity. It can be very mindful.

·         There are several mediums for doodling, including; kinesthetic,: jogs, walking, exercise. I’d arguing skateboarding, gymnastics, and dancing. Other mediums include: musical, visual, auditory, reading and writing.

·         Doodling can help a person to think and connect ideas.

·         Benefits of doodling includes: information regention, keeps us from losing focus.

·         It is not about the doodle. It is about thinking.

 

Who would enjoy this book?  

• People who want to be more creative!
• People who want an arguable/ legitimate excuse for doodling.

 

I would love to see high school or college notes in info-doodle form. I think they would be so much more interesting, easy-to-understand, and good for information retention. I did this with some of my notes from anatomy and physiology classes when I drew pictures of cells and muscles, etc.