Musical Doodle 🎶 🎧 🖊️

Lose yourself in drawing (or writing) to your favorite song.

Messier

Aug 14, 2023

A piece of paper or a notebook.
A pen, pencil, or any other writing instrument you prefer.
A device to play music.
Timer (can be on your phone)

Steps:

Choose a favorite song and play it.
Once the song begins, start doodling or writing nonstop. Don't overthink, just let the music guide your hand.
Keep going until the song ends. If the song is short, feel free to replay it.
Click the “heart” button for this post to track your progress and let us know you did this one.
If you’re up to it, share in the chat or on other social media.
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Tips, Guidance, Inspiration and Science

Want to keep going?

Do it with a group! Take turns choosing songs.
Try different genres of music and notice how your creations differ.
Try it for a whole album.

Help! I’m stuck!

Remember: this exercise is not about creating a masterpiece, but expressing your feelings through the music.
Don't limit yourself. If you feel like writing a sentence or two, go ahead. If you want to create shapes or random patterns, that's fine too.
If you get stuck, close your eyes for a moment, let the music seep in, and then start again.

What’s the science?

Listening to “happy” music facilitates divergent thinking. (Ritter, M., & Ferguson, C. J., 2017)

Prompt shoutout

Big thanks to our friends at Another Limited Rebellion for this activity idea. If you’re looking to help your team be more creative at work, they’re here to help!

Standing on the shoulders of giants