Curatorialist

“SKETCH BOOK. Conceptual Drawings from the World’s Most Influential Designers” just arrived on my desk. It’s a timely release, as much has been made about doodling recently. I’m in advertising, most of us in the creative department doodle constantly in meetings and sometimes are condemned for it. More often, though, it is accepted in our culture as, for the creative, it is sort of our way of taking notes, and sometimes even relaxing ourselves. Our ECD is well-known for drawing spheres that he shades to perfection. It is clearly a form of meditation for him and, well, he’s doing okay.

The hardest part about being a doodler is that you are not making eye contact with whoever is speaking. It’s a constant struggle because looking down and drawing is how I concentrated when I was a kid. I was deepest in my thoughts with a pen on a paper and still am. But it’s disprespectful to the other people in the room. But then so is interrupting and nobody seems to have any problem with that.

All seems to be coming around these days, though, with a lot of concentration on the concentration powers of doodling. Article in Wired and CNN have helped put a more scientific spin on the practice and this year even saw a Barack Obama sketch, doodled on the Senate floor, go for $2,000 on EBAY. And he’s doing okay, too.

The second hardest part about doodling is that it’s called “doodling.” The derivation of the word “doodle” is not pretty, meaning anything from simpleton to fool. The song “Yankee Doodle” was actually sung by BRITISH colonials, if gives you any idea. Even in Wikipedia, who I thought got everything right, lists doodling as: “…a type of sketch, an unfocused drawing made while a person’s attention is otherwise occupied.” I’m otherwise offended.

This is why I appreciate this new book I’m unboxing right now. At no point does it say “doodle.” I have been keeping a sketchbook with me since I was a teenager and my sister gave me my first black book of blank pages. The sketchbook is the gateway to creativity; a private, contemplative place where, above all else, it’s okay to be wrong. That is the nature of sketching, it is imperfect. It is simply the idea, without the polish. And going through those motions is a necessary part of any creative process. At first glance, my only criticism of the book is that the drawings are a bit too spot on, conceptually – as if, perhaps, some of the designers sketched them out after the final product was created. Still, it is an honor to have sketching honored. And it’s a little vindication for a life spent making curvy lines.