drawn while I was on the phone with a friend

Once maligned by the intelligentsia and still overly analyzed by psychologists, doodles (in the form of visual summaries and infodoodles) are storming corporations and social networks (Pinterest, Tumblr, Flickr, etc.).

Why the reawakened interest in doodles? One reason may be because the emergence of visually driven social networks has reminded us that people are visual.

As Sunni Brown, the celebrated visual thinker and strongest advocate of the Doodle Revolution, says, “Visual language—something as sophisticated as a wireframe or as simple as a doodle–is native to our brains.”

I doodle when I’m thinking. Whether I’m in a webinar for work, at a writers’ group meeting, or on the phone (speakerphone, so my hands are free), I’m scribbling away. Nothing fancy. No apps. Just paper (envelopes, sticky notes, whatever is around) and Sharpies and colored pencils.

The extent of my art lessons being a course in basic drawing at Monsignor McHugh Elementary School, I was searching for videos about visual summarizing when I found some lovely online spaces for doodlers to share their doodles, celebrate this art form, and embark on doodling projects.

Let me share my favorite three places.

Doodlers Anonymous

Doodlers Anonymous boasts 7,685 doodlers from around the world. Doodlers can learn about featured artists, participate in projects (such as Showcase Bookmark Doodles), explore the work of other doodlers via the blog, and share their own work. Joining the site is free.

The Hello Project

The Hello Project is a shockingly simple project, sponsored by Sharpie. Doodlers express “hello” on a sticky note and share it via the website. Really simple, right? But the variations on “hello” are extraordinary. Sticky notes show doodles that inspire giggles, smiles, gasps, and even an uneasy, creepy feeling. Who knew you could say “hello” in so many different ways?

The Scribble Project

The Scribble Project provides a template for doodlers to download. Doodlers then answer the questions (everyone everywhere gets the same questions) via doodles and scribbles.

Like the Hello Project, the greatest draw (no pun intended… well, maybe slightly intended) is the myriad styles of doodlers everywhere. Just seeing how the concept of doodling is expressed makes me want to download a template and draw one up myself.