Sometimes, the Making Is Enough

Twenty minutes of mindful doodling, colour and absolutely no plan.

I didn’t sit down intending to create anything in particular.

No Pinterest inspiration. No template. No idea of what the finished thing was supposed to look like. Just a piece of paper, a black pen and twenty minutes to see what happened.

And actually, it was rather lovely.

I started with a line. Then another. Shapes appeared, some fitting together and others overlapping, and gradually the page began to fill. There was no plan and, more importantly, no need for one.

Once I’d finished doodling, I added colour. Again, there weren’t really any rules. I chose whatever colour I fancied next and tried very hard not to think about whether two colours should sit next to each other.

Then came my favourite bit — the little embellishments. Lines, curves, patterns and marks added wherever I felt they belonged.

And twenty minutes later, this was the result.

Is it a masterpiece? Absolutely not.

Do I rather love it? I do.

But I think that’s because I enjoyed making it rather than because of what it eventually became.

Creativity without an outcome

I’ve realised that quite a lot of creativity comes with an expectation attached to it.

If I’m making something, I’m often thinking about whether it will work, whether someone will like it, whether I could sell it, photograph it, write about it or turn it into something else.

This was different.

For twenty minutes there was absolutely no purpose other than putting pen to paper.

And there’s something surprisingly calming about making decisions that don’t matter.

Pink or green? Doesn’t matter.

Straight line or wobbly one? Doesn’t matter.

Does that shape actually look like anything? Definitely doesn’t matter.

You simply make the next mark.

Twenty minutes where my brain got to be quiet

I suppose that’s where the mindful part comes in.

I’m not very good at deliberately switching off. Tell me to sit quietly and clear my mind and there’s every chance I’ll suddenly remember seventeen things I need to do.

Give my hands something simple to concentrate on, though, and it’s different.

For those twenty minutes I wasn’t thinking about work, what needed doing next, what I hadn’t done, or what I should be doing instead.

I was thinking about whether that little section needed a few white lines.

It did, obviously.

And sometimes perhaps that’s enough.

Have a go

You don’t need to be able to draw. In fact, I think it probably works better if you stop trying to.

Start with a line.

Add another.

Create some shapes. Let them overlap. Colour them in. Add dots, stripes, squiggles or whatever else takes your fancy.

Don’t rub anything out.

Don’t start again.

And definitely don’t worry about whether it’s good.

Give yourself twenty minutes and just see where your pen takes you.

Because not everything we make needs to become something.

Sometimes, the making is enough.