Doodling – The Art of Champions
I do everything on graph paper. I managed to use normal, college-ruled loose-leaf or spiral notebooks for note-taking in a few classes last semester, but my wealth of engineering and math-intensive classes has me using only graph paper for note-taking and assignments. The beauty of graph paper is twofold: it lends some extra order and structure to my otherwise indecipherable handwriting, and it provides a great canvas for doodling. Or so I assume, having only ever paid 100% attention in all of my classes.
According to a study cited in Time magazine and on NPR, doodling, contrary to the popular (and probably well-deserved) conception, can actually be a memory aid and a stimulant as far as paying attention in meetings or classes. “The function of doodling…is to provide just enough cognitive stimulation during an otherwise boring task to prevent the mind from taking the more radical step of totally opting out of the situation and running off into a fantasy world,” the article states. I could have told you that, forizzle.
Now, in an effort to keep some Vanderbilt relevance, I investigated the Vandy Department of Art’s website to see if they had anything doodle-like. Not only did I find some pretty excellent student works, but also I was referred to two good destinations on campus for seeing some student and local-artist works. While these works took decidedly more effort and skill than doodles, I feel they totally deserve mention: The Sarratt Gallery, a constantly-changing art exhibition in the lobby of the Sarratt Student Center, and the Cohen Fine Arts Gallery, which is (rather conveniently) RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO MY DORM! You go, art.
Last, but definitely not least (THAT MEANS CLICK THIS LINK), courtesy of my Differential Equations teacher, Professor Whitehouse, I have a doodle-centric gift for you. This is Vi Hart, a self-made doodle prodigy and mathematician with some super videos about learning from your doodles. For instance:
Doodling In Math Class: Snakes + Graphs
Drink some caffeine before you watch…
Hope this article could inspire you to feel good about doodling and your lame artistic abilities. That’s certainly what it did for me!
