{"id":13088,"date":"2021-02-24T16:48:11","date_gmt":"2021-02-25T00:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/gaitensp\/?p=13088"},"modified":"2021-02-26T12:16:31","modified_gmt":"2021-02-26T20:16:31","slug":"the-deceptively-simple-but-mind-blowing-power-of-the-doodle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/gaitensp\/2021\/02\/24\/the-deceptively-simple-but-mind-blowing-power-of-the-doodle\/","title":{"rendered":"The Deceptively Simple but Mind-Blowing Power of… THE DOODLE!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

As if we needed any more reasons to love, respect, and trust the so-incredible-it-hurts Lynda Barry<\/a><\/strong>; she is a certified genius<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>after all.\u00a0 But she threw another one at us with the introduction of her doodling-as-a-way-of-staying-present technique.<\/p>\n

\"\"(images from Picture This<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, by Lynda Barry; published by Drawn and Quarterly;
\ncopyright 2010 by Lynda Barry)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This seemed to mesh perfectly with what we discovered by following the advice of Lynda Barry to look into the work of psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist <\/a><\/strong>during our big Brain Research project in Term One, specifically how by giving the left side of the brain the narrow focus it craves, the right hemisphere is freed up into a larger open awareness–a kind of non-thinking thinking place that we’re practicing applying to everything we do in class, whether it’s solving a complex math problem or making a great shot or strong defensive in PE.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Keeping the hand in motion: in other parts of her work, Lynda Barry equates this with how going for a walk when you’re stuck with a problem seems to loosen things up and present a solution.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

“Movement is key,” she says. “I wonder why?”\u00a0 And what’s interesting is that this movement seems to lead to a kind of inner stillness, from which unexpected ideas emerge.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

With our sense of curiosity piqued, we tried out the technique\u00a0while looking at the short story that runs through the pages of Lynda Barry’s image exploration<\/a> <\/strong>activity book about “writing the unthinkable,” What It Is<\/a><\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n