The Power of Doodling

Doodles? I don’t get it, Bob. Why are you posting doodles? Why aren’t you posting your art?

Want to hear something unexpected? Doodles are where many of my favorite pieces started. Doodles are a pathway into studies and sketches. Those sketches turn into concept drawings, which become paintings. The paintings become collections, and the collections eventually become a series. If you found all that confusing, let’s follow the path of a series I’m working on at the moment. You may remember the table from my latest social media post.

Wait what? You’re not following me on social? (Ok, here’s the link- Instagram: Bob Ostrom Studio ) Now get over there and give me a follow.

Anyhow, where was I? Ah, yes, the doodle that started it all... the pathway in.

I carry a sketchbook when I travel. It’s nothing new, I’ve been doing it for years. Most people busy themselves with their phones, but I like to keep a sketchbook. A few years ago, I was sitting on the beach staring out at the ocean, and an image just kind of doodled its way onto the page.

I liked the idea, so I did a deeper dive. I did a few more sketches, followed by a watercolor. 

Because I liked the watercolor, I made a print. The print became stickers, and from there, it became a painting, which is now on display in downtown Durham in the Weird Windows collection (on display now until January 2nd).

Most people would assume that was the end goal. The art is in a show, the end. Right? Wrong. The end goal was originally to create the table. Strange how things go sometimes, but when I began this little journey, what I was really looking for was to find a way to create a functional piece of art from the large painting for my office. As you now know from my earlier posts, that's not exactly how things turned out.

So what started as a quick little doodle grew, and grew, and grew, until it became part of a series. This is just one example of many, and it all started with a simple doodle. The power of doodling should not be underestimated. The mind is a powerful visual instrument, and sometimes unlocking its potential starts with very small ideas that grow into something big. Don't stop doodling, friends. Some of the best ideas start small.