The random word doodle

Episode #1 of the course The random word doodle: boost your creativity and exercise your mind by Rich Armstrong

 

So, you want to come up with better ideas? You want to be a prolific creator? Or maybe you don’t even think you’re creative but want to be? You’re in the right place. Our brain is our number one tool in life, work, and creativity. And it’s a muscle that needs a good daily workout. There are many ways of making it sweat, but I’d like to introduce a really fun and effective method.

It’s simple, fun, and doesn’t take long. It’s called the random word doodle. And it goes like this:

1. Get a list of 10 random words

2. Doodle something based on one of them

Simple. Now let’s add some rules to make it more interesting. This way, our brain will sweat and we’ll have more fun:

1. No pencils. Mistakes are encouraged. Correction and perfection are not. I like using a black ballpoint pen.

2. 15 minutes. Choose a word and doodle it within 15 minutes. It’s an exercise. Creation begets creation. Get it done. Don’t hesitate.

3. Start small. Doodle on a small piece of paper or in a book. It’s less daunting and easy to carry around.

4. Stick with your words. Pick from the words in front of you. You’ll be tempted to skip to a bunch of nicer words, but making things easy and searching for the perfect set of words will get you nowhere. Your brain must sweat!

5. Always share. Whether good or bad, share your doodle on your social networks. To beat the fear of failure, you must learn to share, whether you think it’s good or bad. It’s also a great way to document your progress.

6. Same time every day. Do it every day at the same time to create a routine. Your mind will prep for it, and your best results will emerge.

7. Pen to paper. Start by writing the date and the word, then sign your name. This makes it easier to begin—you’ve committed!

8. Have fun quickly. If it’s not fun, and if it takes a lot of time, the chances of you doing it decrease dramatically!

Now, grab a pen and paper and look at these words:

1. Appalachians
2. Yellowthroat
3. Amorphous
4. Mid-November
5. Palmated
6. Auxesis
7. Confutable
8. Attache
9. Sabbat
10. Dogma

Pick a word that makes you laugh or smile, then doodle it! Make sure to write the date and word and sign your name. When you’re done, take a photo of it and post it on your social networks. Use the #randomWordDoodle hashtag to see what everyone else is doing. I like sharing on Instagram and Facebook the most. Mention me on Twitter (@taptapkaboom) and Instagram (@taptapkaboom) if you like.

Okay, so your first random word doodle is done. You may stand up and celebrate! Dance! High five yourself!

With each email, I’ll unpack specific benefits and methods of doodling random words. And I’ll give you 10 random words to doodle.

 

Recommended book

“The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life” by Twyla Tharp
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