This weekend's challenge is inspired by one of my doodling heroes - Kai Skye (a.k.a. Brian Andreas) - who says that sometimes when he needs inspiration for writing and doodling he does this.

Day 1: Wavy Lines
Using a pencil, gray marker, or fine pen, draw a series of parallel lines on a page with your non-dominant hand (we want them to be wavy). You want to see these but they shouldn't overwhelm the page.  Think of this as a meditation, not a drawing exercise.

Day 2:  Flair
Slowly fill in these lines with words that come to you. Use a bigger, darker marker for the letters. Write slowly and deliberately. It is okay if they don't make sense. Think of this as a meditation, not a writing exercise.

Day 3: Doodles
Color in any letters that make a closed shape - like the middles of A, B, D, P. You can use the same colors or alternate colors.  Add doodles around your writing. Draw anything that comes to mind for you.

Share a photo of your doodle on social media and in the Doodle & Flow online community! 
Hashtags: #doodleandflowpractice #flowersandvines #molinecreative

Doodle & Flow is a process that is designed to put you in a "flow" mindset and help you tap your intuition, your creativity by allowing your mind to wander, gently.  The flow space allows your spontaneous brilliance to emerge, so please do not get caught up in the drawing and art-making of Doodle & Flow. This is about process, not product.  Allow yourself play and see what arises!

I'm guessing if you're reading this post, you like the Doodle & Flow process enough to invest in fancier doodling supplies - or, like me, you have an art supply addiction.  Either way, this is fantastic news.  Congratulations!

Let me keep this brief.  I use three main things in my practice: silky smooth marker paper, pigment-based black markers, and colorful watercolor markers.  I also carry my markers in a neat little case and sometimes use Avery labels to cover up my mistakes.

Paper: Spiral bound, smooth, thick, perfectly white pages
I have tried dozens of types of paper and I will write a review about the pros and cons of all of them at some point, but I like spiral bound blank sketchbooks when I draw with markers.  I like them because I am often doodling on my lap and I never know how to manage the other side of the sketchbook if it is hard bound. 

I also like thick, smooth, perfectly white paper.  I like thick paper so my markers don't "ghost" or show up on the next page.  I like smooth paper because it uses less marker ink.  I like perfectly white paper so I can use labels to cover up my mistakes.

My favorites:

• Bee Paper Markerbook
  
• Bee Paper Pen Sketcher
  

Black Markers:  Pigment-based twin tips
I wrote a whole blog post about my marker trials. I bought dozens of markers and tried them all!  You can check my review here and my recommendation here.  Briefly, I settled on Uchida Pigment-based Artist Markers.  I like them because they dry fast, don't smear, and (most importantly) don't smell toxic to me.  I also like that they have two nibs - skinny and thick.  I don't like that they are expensive and seem to run out of ink really fast.

Colorful Markers:  Water-based brush tips
I go back and forth between Tombow Dual Brush Pens and Neuland Fine Liners (brush tip).  I like the dual tip feature because I mostly use my colorful markers for coloring, but occasionally I use the fine nib to write text.  I like the water-based ink because it isn't toxic.

If I am traveling and can't find Tombow markers, I will sometimes buy the generic Artist Loft version from Michaels.  I don't like them quite as well because they aren't as juicy as the Tombow markers, but they work in a pinch.  They are also a tiny bit shorter so they fit in smaller pen cases.

Avery Labels:  The littlest ones
I also use sticky labels - the white ones you use to put on envelopes for mailing - to cover up my mistakes.  My two favorite sizes for Doodle & Flow are 60 and 80 labels to a page. 

This challenge is designed to be completed in tiny little chunks (5-10 minutes) over seven days, but as with everything in Doodle & Flow, complete it at your pace on your timeline.  Feel free to string it out over seven weeks or binge it in seventy minutes.  It is your practice. Do as you wish.

Share a photo of your doodle on social media and in the Doodle & Flow online community! 
Hashtags: #doodleandflowpractice #flowersandvines #molinecreative

Doodle & Flow is a process that is designed to put you in a "flow" mindset and help you tap your intuition, your creativity by allowing your mind to wander, gently.  The flow space allows your spontaneous brilliance to emerge, so please do not get caught up in the drawing and art-making of Doodle & Flow. This is about process, not product.  Allow yourself play and see what arises!

Day 1: Flowers
Draw a series of slightly wobbly spirals that will become simple roses... or you can draw any other type of flower.  This is about the process, not the product.  Draw whatever brings you joy.

Day 2: Vines
Add vines. Consider adding curls to your vines and working out what it looks like when the vine winds around itself (it appears smaller as it moves away from you).

Day 3: Flair
Add color to your vine and consider adding flair like grapes, flowers, bugs, bees, birds.

Share a photo of your doodle on social media and in the Doodle & Flow online community! 
Hashtags: #doodleandflowpractice #flowersandvines #molinecreative

Doodle & Flow is a process that is designed to put you in a "flow" mindset and help you tap your intuition, your creativity by allowing your mind to wander, gently.  The flow space allows your spontaneous brilliance to emerge, so please do not get caught up in the drawing and art-making of Doodle & Flow. This is about process, not product.  Allow yourself play and see what arises!

Have you woken up in the middle of the night because your mind was racing through your busy to do list?  And then drifted peacefully off to sleep after you wrote the list on a notepad beside your bed? 

If so, this post is for you...

I have been keeping a journal, diary, or sketchbook for the past 30 years.  Over that time, I've learned to use doodling and writing to shift the speed of my thinking depending on what life requires of me.  There are times when my brain is moving slowly and I can't get motivated to work on a writing project, so I sketch out what I am going to say - not outline what I am going to say, but doodle a picture of what I am going to say - and my mind warms up   Other times my mind is racing so fast that I can't think deeply enough to solve a client's problem, so I clear the chatter by writing quickly or making lists.  I use this process, which I call Doodle & Flow, daily to meet life's challenges. 

Recently I have started sharing the process of Doodle & Flow with colleagues and friends.  Because much of my own learning has come from personal writing, that's where we're starting.  Together we are building a community of creatively curious people who want to shape their own thinking to quickly generate new ideas, thoughtfully consider their lives, cultivate stronger relationships, and live intentionally.   I can't wait to share the doodles that these amazing humans are creating and the insights that are emerging for them.  Stay tuned for Doodle & Flow... coming July 20th.

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