Doodles are not critiqued as drawing is. Neither are they coveted, as drawing is. Doodling is described as aimless. A doodle has no real purpose but to keep a person occupied. It doesn’t need to depict anything. There’s no pressure to perform and create a meaningful, accurate drawing that communicates well. A doodle is simply a mark or series of marks. They can be playful, geometric, linear, shaded… whatever. Doodles are often the result of thinking, but they’re not a depiction of thinking in the way a drawing is. Because doodles are aimless in nature, they don’t need to communicate.

Doodling is useful because it helps us process cognitively. It helps us to remember ideas and information.