Re-discovering the Artistic and Poetic Parts of Myself through Double Doodle Play

Amy Choi

In August 2007, in Ottawa, Canada, I took the Double Doodle Play and Teachers?Training workshops from Gail E. Dennison, one of the founders of Brain Gym? Being a person who hasn’t drawn for many years, it was an eye-opening experience to see the work of so many fantastic artists from all over the world. As I was doing some of the gross-motor movements related to drawing, I recalled a decision I made when I was 12 years old. I told my mother: “Though I liked this art class, I would like to quit it and focus on my studies.? When this memory surfaced, I noticed a subtle, emotional yet profound healing experience. Tears came to my eyes.

Double Doodle Drawing – Cheung Chau BeachSince I came back from Ottawa, I had been busy with other things in life, and have not drawn much. Yet, I have noticed that I have been more aware of the images around me – their lines, shapes, colours, shades, etc. and I became more able to connect with and appreciate visual images. I was also able to choose a more appropriate art workshop for my 6-year-old younger son, who loves to draw but didn’t like his previous art workshop. Now, I found him a workshop run by an artist, and he is very happy there.

One thing that I would like to share with you is what happened to me in February this year. During the last few months, I had been very stressed about an issue related to my job. So, in the last weekend of February, I decided to grab my Double Doodle gear and went on a retreat in Cheung Chau (a small outlying island in Hong Kong) for two days.

I made myself draw on the way I got there, at the pier, at the hotel, etc. (Drawing was still a low gear experience then, in the sense that I had to ask myself to do it.) Slowly, I experienced some moments of (perhaps what artists would call) inspirations. On the second day, I saw an eagle. I was so inspired by the eagle that I sat down and wrote a poem – something that I have not done since I was 16. I was very happy with the experience, and I thought the balance was completed – both for drawing and for the issue related to my job.

Last weekend, I taught my first Double Doodle class with Conrad Ho. Some of the participants were like me ?had never drawn anything for years. I was happy to be their facilitator and to see them re-discover the artist parts of themselves.