Just start doodling

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Our 6-year old daughter spent hours this weekend making "coloring books" (outline drawings on copy paper, bound by a row of staples) to sell door-to-door to neighbors and friends. She was so full of enthusiasm about it, I couldn't help but smile watching her. 

She was working on some more books this morning before school, and I watched her stare at her blank paper. She thought for a few seconds, and then said, "Just start doodling!" She then proceeded to tell me that she had learned that from a show she was watching -- that when you feel stuck, you just have to start doodling and then the ideas would come.

[lightbulb ding sound]

Doodling doesn't require any forethought. You just start moving your pen on the paper and see what begins to form in your mind. No judgement of whether the doodle is "good enough;" just active movement. Forward motion to the next stepping stone. 

It's easy to feel stuck and intimidated by the blank space, whether it's a blog post, a new song, a painting, a conversation, or a life change. But if we take that free and childlike approach of "Just doodle," ideas start flowing and we can use our agency to create -- which, I believe, is a big part of what we're all here to learn.