Doodling Makes a Comeback

San Francisco, CA.

An increasing number of BART passengers have been trading in their Sudoku books and crosswords, Kindles and smartphones for the old devotion to doodling. People in coffee shops are no longer pretending to be writers, mostly gulping down espressos with an occasional scribble. Instead, an upward trend is being noted, especially on the east and west coasts of people going out in public to doodle. Last week, 7 out of 12 people on the elevator in an apartment building in Brooklyn were doodling between floors 2 and 5. An entire tour bus of tourists were caught doodling in Times Square, their cameras draped like forgotten trophies around their necks. People at a Tegan and Sara concert were seen doodling the show live, even in the front row while singing along, smartphones in pockets.

So why this sudden trade-off of posturing for humble honesty, flashy gadgets for a simple pen and paper, and mindless chitter chatter for creative expression? Hypotheses include the "small world" theory of interconnectedness, which is breeding increasing accountability in contemporaries, economical uncertainties, and a true desire to be more creative.

Graffiti artist Banksy admits to having his start in doodling. He can't recall a single thing he learned in History class, although today he expresses a keen interest in history and current events, drawing inspiration from them, literally and figuratively.