I’ve always been a doodler. At university, I never took notes. Instead I would spend lectures creating pages of elaborate swirls and circles and lines. I was paying attention too obviously, it just helped me concentrate.
I still doodle a lot now – borders of flowers around pages, concentric circles, pretty pictures of cottages with white picket fences and apple trees in the garden – so when I was asked to create a doodle for National Doodle Day, I was more than happy to oblige. I take any form of procrastination very seriously.
National Doodle Day, which takes place this year on 11 February, is basically a fundraising activity, raising money for Epilepsy Action, and supported by Dodo Pad. Loads of celebrities take part, submitting their own doodles, and you can vote through the Doodle Day website for your favourite. There’s also a fab competition – send in your very own doodle and you could win an iPad. Not bad at all.
Anyway, they asked me to doodle something, promising a graphologist would be able to tell me something insightful, and this is what I did:
I do quite a lot of doodles like this – symmetrical patterns radiating out of a central point – so I figured if anything was going to shine a light into my subconscious, this would be it.
I waited eagerly, hoping the graphologist would come back saying something like ‘Wow! This person is going to be super successful and happy, probably with their own newspaper column before long’.
But no, I got this:
“This lady knows how to get things organised but may allow the self to be distracted by an emotional issue or issues that she just can’t seem to put to one side.”
Hmmm… that’s not terribly glamorous is it? So basically I am super efficient, but a bit nuts, with a tendency to cling resentfully to issues in my past. Or maybe I’m reading too much into it. Clearly I won’t be able to move on, whatever the case.
I had a look at the Doodle Day website to see if I could do a bit of deeper analysis. The page about doodle meanings talks a lot about the different shapes people draw – round, curvy shapes vs squares, lines and triangles – but as my doodle seems to be a mix of all of them it wasn’t terribly helpful. The spirals and curves suggest I’m ‘an emotional person looking for love and harmony’, but the triangles and diamonds tell me I’m a determined person, who needs at outlet for their emotional and physical energy. *She types, sat on the bed in pyjamas*
The symmetry suggests good organisational skills, with a liking for control and order, but the dark shaded areas convey a ‘sombre mood of serious thought or possibly depression’ Generally a bit of a mixed bag then. I always knew I was ‘complex’. You can see why the graphologist went with ‘efficient but possibly a tad bonkers’ as their overall analysis.
So, what do you think, are our doodles really a window to our souls? Why not have a go, and see what your doodles say about you.
Love this, tweeted you. I love to doodle. Off to see what they mean…
My doodles are more of a rear view mirror into my soul. That sounded deep and interesting in my head, but not so much once typed. C’est la vie.
If you submit a doodle to National Doodle Day through the Dodo Pad (http://www.dodopad.com/pages/National_Doodle_Day.htm for more details), then you not only get the chance to win an iPad in the main competition, but if yours in the winning entry as chosen by my good self and The Compiler, then your masterpiece will be published in either the next Dodo Pad or Acad-Pad diary. There are two levels of entry Under 17’s and Over 17’s. So please get doodling!
Just stumbled on this. I also doodle constantly, especially during lectures instead of/ in combination with taking notes, and I tend to do the same thing… symmetrical patterns radiating out of a central point. Wonder if there’s any value in it/ meaning behind it?
My doodles are always symmetrical. Have been my whole life. I love organization. I love making lists, I always put the crayons in color order, then in ABC order. I loved organizing my legos. Books, Cassettes (yes I”m that old). You name it I wanted to organize it. However, I’m an EXCELLENT procrastinator. Waiting to the last minute to get things done then rushing like crazy. Yet it always works. I’m a multitasker. and I do well at it. My brain can do a few things at once. Yet, last night I was at my sister’s and she went next door to drop something off and our other sister came in and was looking all over for her. I suggested looking outside, in the bathroom, downstairs. I TOTALLY FORGOT she went next door. Like it never even happened. Totally erased from my mind. sometimes I think I have ADD, but who knows. I think I just do too much at one time and I forget things. Siiiiiiiiiigh.
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