Most of us doodle at some point. You might find yourself doodling on the phone while you’re concentrating. A lot of us don’t even think about what we’re doing while we scribble on a piece of paper.
Doodling is actually becoming somewhat more mainstream and there is even such a thing as doodle art. This is a sort of stream-of-consciousness artwork for creating characters and drawing patterns or anything that comes to mind. People even buy specific equipment for doodling or for journaling. For some of us, it is about far more than just passing the time.
Even if you’re not particularly into doodle art, you might be interested in some of the psychology behind this type of drawing. Interestingly, the sort of things that you end up drawing can say a lot about your frame of mind at the time. It’s all about the subconscious mind, so good results come when you’re just feeding off of music or drawing without thinking too much. It’s almost meditative for some people.
Drawing Cars or Transport
If you find that you are drawing a lot of vehicles or other methods of transportation, it is possible that you are thinking about getting out of your current situation. This might not be too much to read into. For instance, it might just be the case that you’re bored of the phone call you are having. A lot of people who need a break or a change of scenery doodle this sort of thing.
Drawing Stars
Drawing lots of little stars is usually a sign of confidence and optimism. Maybe you’re feeling particularly good about the future or you have just got some good news, your reflex might be to draw stars.
Drawing Flowers
There are a few schools of thought regarding what drawing flowers could mean. Psychologically, we think it gives an indication that someone is feeling peaceful and tranquil, and it represents a relationship with nature as well as a general feeling of being satisfied.
Drawing Squiggles
Squiggles and curly lines might give an indication that you are thinking about direction, or a lack thereof! If your squiggles look kind of aimless, there’s every chance that this is how you are feeling, or that some part of your mind is feeling directionless.
Drawing Arrows
Arrows are almost definitely the opposite of feeling directionless. An arrow can represent drive and an ambition to get somewhere. It might be optimism, it might be impatience, but an arrow almost always denotes some intent for the people who are drawing it.
Do Doodles Always Mean Something?
There are definitely times where doodling means nothing at all. It’s easy to read too much into the process and the things that come out when you start putting pen to paper. Sometimes, you might start scribbling and notice that your drawing looks a bit like something, and build on this theme or idea. This probably doesn’t have a root in your subconscious. Actually, it is just the squiggle that you might have originally thought.
Doodles can just be a mindless flow out of your brain. While some of the things that come from this may give you a real indication of your psyche, other aspects of your doodling might be totally random.
Conclusion
The next time you’ve been doodling to yourself and not really thinking about it, pay attention to what you have drawn. It could be that you find an incredible insight in the objects and images you had previously thought of as totally random!