Let Your Brain Relax

Creativity assist

People often wonder how to get ideas. Everyone does it differently, but I begin with drawing. I try to let my brain relax and just draw whatever comes to mind. Sometimes its not even conscious.

I made a video screen grab of me doing just that moments ago. I drew for about 7 minutes on one page on my iPad, and sped it up for you.

I have a black sketchbook that I do this in as well, with similar pages. But I often I add words….in fact its important to bring words into the mix. Things that pop into my mind, things I heard from the news, buzzwords, seasonal thoughts, personal experiences.

Often nothing comes of it at all. Actually, more often than not it doesn’t, but it’s a good exercize. Sometimes you return to the page and something jumps out at you as a good idea or a possible cartoon. You need distance from the stuff to see it sometimes.

This page from my sketchbook actually shows the seeds of an idea for a cartoon that The New Yorker did run eventually. The drawing they bought was about words dogs don’t need to know.

Here is the drawing that ran in The New Yorker:

I hope your weekend is full of creativity!

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