Process Peek: Summer Snores

As I write these posts it’s becoming clear that my doodle process is all about me outwitting myself. That is, my creative brain apparently needs to function as Roadrunner to my logical brain’s Wile E. Coyote. I am constantly creating mirages and diversions that my logical brain will doltishly follow while creative brain has a good laugh and creates a doodle. When things go well, creative brain has done its thing and dashed off again before logical brain is even (so to speak) in the picture.

These are exceptionally poorly drawn brains but the idea of them makes me laugh so you’re getting to see them.

That said, logical brain is used to being in control for most of the day. It has mad skilz. It occasionally creates traps that almost work.

One of these traps is the set of rules about how to use my initial scribble. Most of the time, these rules create the kind of challenge that keeps both brains happy. Sometimes, though, a scribble gives creative brain a great idea that logical brain stubbornly says Isn’t Permitted Under The Rules. I’ve made a few constitutional amendments that both brains will now allow. I can finally erase sections of initial scribble without too much internal debate, for example. Under extenuating circumstances I have even been able to skew or distort a scribble with only a heavy sigh and eye roll from logical brain.

Things get tricky when I want to improve a mostly complete doodle by changing a section of the original scribble. In these cases, logical brain folds its arms and takes a wide stance. It tells me disapprovingly that I’m no longer even adhering to the spirit of the thing, and asks me why I have the rule at all if I’m just going to break it. This is where creative brain makes its case that the REAL point is to convey the picture in my head more clearly, and anyway, stop being so serious all the time, logical brain, you’re such a downer and also I think you’re getting old.

Creative brain can be pretty persuasive.

I don’t really understand how two of my brains could be smaller than my entire head by a large factor but here we are regardless.

Today’s video clip shows what happens when I allow creative brain to win one of these arguments.

My initial scribble had to be rotated, which doesn’t even rate an objection from logical brain. This is standard procedure.

At left is just a scrawl; at right is a big nose over an open mouth.

Once rotated, I could see a face with an open mouth. I began to doodle around that idea, and imagined that this person’s left arm was propped on a lawn chair while his mouth was preparing to eat a snack or have a sip of something cool.

This is where you see me entering into a debate with my brain over how much erasure is permitted. In frame 1, I have disconnected the “food” line from the nose. Then I pause to hear arguments, and finally move ahead with erasing another chunk of the “food” line (frame 2).

I then turn my attention back to the lawn chair, but that quickly becomes too complicated and overdesigned (frame 3). In frame 4, I have replaced the chair with a floatie.

Now I have a quandary. My doodle is clearly not eating in his floatie. He is having a lovely nap in the sunshine. The food line is officially extraneous. It needs to go.

I will admit here that the food line COULD have become a bug heading for doodle man’s mouth, but that would have been unkind. The line had to go.

Now I am happy. This is a real doodle man, doing a real doodle thing.

But wait. Is he not uncomfortable? Can he really nap at that angle, or merely rest his eyes? This is not Authentic. I need to adjust his head angle so he can get a good nap.

And now we open arguments between my two brains, one of which says YES do this good deed for doodle man, he needs his rest! and the other of which says, You are breaking rules left right and willy nilly here, his head is part of the original scribble, if you change it what even is a rule anyway and THE CENTER CANNOT HOLD.

Head has been eased back to a more comfortable position.

Obviously, kindness and creativity win. Doodle man is having a lovely nap at the seaside. I wish I could join him and leave logical brain at home.