Written by Brendan Loscar

Like grabbing ice cream after a long day of work—drawing is a pretty sweet thing to look forward to. When you are able to jump into a world of your own creativity, it frees up your life and makes you feel like a kid again. Think about the times you used to draw your cat as a malevolent fire-breathing dragon or pretend you were caught in the midst of an intergalactic battle for planet broccoli. You didn’t have time to worry about the awkward handshake you had 2 weeks ago. You just wanted to have fun!

Here are 4 ways that drawing and keeping a notebook will help you focus less of the small stuff and more on your creative exploration.

1.Turn ‘random’ into ‘reflection’ of what makes you, you.

Try this: grab a sketchbook or piece of paper and start drawing a bunch of random shapes. Yeah, just go for it! No one is grading you. Now, grab some colored thingys (pencils, markers, paints, fingers) and fill in those shapes. Looks random, but it isn’t. You drew those shapes with those colors for a reason. Why? Are you happy? Are you tired? Do you love nature? It’s all woven in there and I bet you didn’t even notice. Cool, right?

2.Get outside and take a look.

Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is think of what to draw. Luckily, we live in a world full of inspiration, you just have to look for it. So draw something you see next time you’re in your favorite coffee shop. It could be a chair, someone with a funky outfit, or just your coffee cup. Better yet, go on a hike and stop to sketch some nature. It’s like filling a punch card towards your next awesome idea.

3.Do some doodling!

Being creative doesn’t need to be stressful. It should be a chance to relax and express yourself. So try doodling. Draw with the intent of being light-hearted and fun. If you can, distract your mind with a good movie or groovy music and set your thoughts on auto-pilot. Now let those ideas spill onto the page through your preferred medium. It may look silly, but don’t be too harsh. After all, it’s just a doodle.

4.Take notes like you take your salsa. Chunky and flavorful.

Learning can feel like a tedious bore sometimes. But, luckily taking creative notes can break up the monotony. Next time you’re reading try condensing important messages that stand out to you. You’ll start remembering more of what you read and flex your creativity in the process. Bonus tip: use fun colors and drawings to solidify what you learned!
Next time you start feeling bogged-down, grab a sketchbook and set your ideas free onto the page. Let the world around you pause for a moment so you can focus on what’s really important. Expressing
your creativity.

How do you use your sketchbook to fuel your creativity and have fun?

Follow Brendan on his Instagram @brendanloscar