What does your doodle mean?
A blog by Karina Bailey.
When you’re on the phone or just sat thinking with a pen in your hand the chances are you’ll be doodling. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had to re-write notes before because I drew all over the page! I’ve even found myself doodling while I’ve been taking minutes during a board meeting and still managed to understand my minutes at the end of it.
The reason I’ve been researching this topic is because I doodled while thinking of a blog topic to write for my business blog. Instead of scrapping the page in my notebook, it made me think about why I’d scribbled the things I did, so I went on an internet search to try to find out why I had doodled my flowers, house, squiggles and ‘cat’ face.
And this is what I found out from The British Institute of Graphologists and Liquid Blue Flame at Deviant Art:
When we doodle we’re in a semi-conscious state, we’re thinking of something other than the telephone conversation we’re having or the idea that we’re running through; and for that reason the doodle tells us a lot about what is really going on in our brain and how we are really feeling. So unbeknown to me I wasn’t just solely ‘thinking’ of blog topics. Doodles are very revealing, they are in effect mind maps.
Here are a few common Doodles and there meaning:
Faces:
The expression on a doodled face is often a good indication of the mood or character of the person who has drawn it. A nicely drawn, good-looking face suggests you see the good in others. If you sketch weird or ugly faces, you are probably mistrustful.
Flowers:
Soft, rounded petals around a circular flower centre suggest an easy to get on with, family-centred person. If the centre of your flower is a circle, but your petals are pointy, you are probably hiding a warm heart behind a prickly demeanour. If you doodle a bunch of perky-looking flowers you are likely to be sociable, drooping flower heads, can show you’re burdened by worry.
Houses:
This is a common doodle and indicates a need for security. A neat drawing of a house suggests a secure home life, a more messy-looking sketch, especially one without windows is a bit darker and indicates unhappiness with your home life.
Stars:
Stars are often drawn by ambitious people. Lots of little stars indicate optimism. If you’ve drawn one big, bold, embellished star, you’ve got a definite goal in your sights. Neat, uniform stars suggest good mental focus, while freehand, asymmetric stars show an energetic personality.
Zigzags or Squiggles:
Just as patterns made up of soft, flowing, curvy lines suggest a romantic, female approach to things, patterns made up of lots of straight lines, indicate more aggressive masculine characteristics. Zigzags are a particularly common doodle and show energetic thinking and a desire to get on with things.
Intricate Patterns:
Busy, highly-detailed doodles are often drawn by people with an obsessive nature, who simply will not let go of their ambitions or loved ones. This type of drawing is often a favourite with extreme introverts.
Cats:
In some instances, cats can indicate unresolved envy or jealousy. Depending upon circumstances, cats can also indicate a spiritual awakening.
Stick People:
Doodled by successful people, the simple stick figure reveals someone who is in control of their emotions and focused on their goals.
Interestingly it’s National Doodle Day on 7 March 2014 which supports the work of Epilepsy Action. http://doodle-day.epilepsy.org.uk/ And I didn’t know that before I started to research my Doodles! So they have definitely given me something to think about.
So, next time you’ve had a doodle! Don’t just bin it, take a look at your doodle and try to work out what you were really thinking & feeling.
