How Doodling became my anxiety relief

When my daughter was hospitalized, I picked up doodling as a hobby and outlet for my anxiety.

It started as something to do while waiting in long appointments and hospital stays. It was a way to put my mind at ease while being under so much stress and way more productive than hours of scrolling aimlessly on social media or numbing my mind with tv. Im not ready to get into the specifics of it but there is a level of anxiety that comes with having a child with special needs thats you’ll never understand unless you live it. It’s not uncommon for parents to get overwhelmed and lose themselves in all the stress while just trying to maintain. Doodling became a way I quieted my mind. Something to put that nervous energy into…Taking everything that was going on in my head and transferring all that loudness onto paper. Somewhere along the line I just opened my sketch book and just let my hands flow. All the things I couldn’t say or didn’t have the words for , I processed it to myself and drawing along helped that. It’s been a blessing to have that. Art has saved me time and time again.

As my daughter got better, doodling was a habit I continued. I challenged myself to draw every day. Even if it wasn’t something elaborate. In those months I saw a shift in my mental health and a shift in the quality of my work. I found inspiration in my own work. It’s been nice. It’s been a habit I’ve kept over the last year and some change and i’ve been able to take inspiration from those doodles and make paintings in a much larger scale of the same style……

Hand drawn Marker Work

Lately I’ve been enjoying the convenience of using markers in my work. I recently finished up a piece I started in November on a whim. I free handed on a larger sized canvas with sharpie and as the weeks went on, slowly by surely added more to the canvas. I challenged myself this time to a limit of only 5 colors and loved how it looked at every stage. It was the confidence boost I needed as I continue to expand my voice as an artist. Though I do have a voice as an artist, I sometimes feel like I have to stick to one style of work, to have a signature look. But that’s not the case and has never been for me, as I like to work with different mediums across different fields of art.

Anywho, doodling has been my go to in the last year. I find it very convenient and it’s been a tool to ease my anxiety. I can do it anywhere with only two materials: paper and pen. I’ve moved away from doing predominantly fluid art, as drawing gives me more creative control. With fluid art you surrender all control.

Though, fluid art will always be something I do as it is fun and it what most clients of mine request. I’m not mad at it. But I have been enjoying pushing my self with handrawn work..

As for this piece, I found myself going back to it, after sometimes leaving it alone for weeks at a time. Sneaking down the stairs while everyone is sleeping to get a few more details in, or plan the color order. I really enjoyed this, though tedious. I call it “Garden Salad”. Made in late 2022.