It’s been almost 13 years since I became a mom and I still haven’t gotten tired of pulling out our bucket of sidewalk chalk whenever I visit the park with the kids. In fact, I usually look forward to it with a sort of secret jolt of energizing excitement. Here is why I enjoy it so much (even though I’m a grown up). I hope you enjoy this list along with some of our favorite doodles. Perhaps you’ll find some inspiration to dip into that chalk bucket as well!
1. It’s pressure free.
I never sign my doodles, so they are always anonymous. (Though some people know who did them at this point.) If I don’t like it, it’s not that big of a deal. No one is coming to the park expecting to see amazing chalk art, and they usually go away after a few days from rain or sprinklers anyway.
2. I get to practice using my arm and elbow to draw instead of just my wrist.
I’m used to drawing using my wrist and fingers on a small screen or sketchbook, so using my whole arm to draw is really freeing. The lines become instantly smoother and curves and straight lines are way easier to draw, (as long as my piece of chalk is not a tiny stub!) :p
3. It opens up a “flow state” very quickly.
Putting down those first huge lines is all it takes to get in the creative zone, where I barely have to think to make something I like. As I keep adding new shapes, it becomes exciting to see how the doodle spreads and gets more interesting. I move fast and make decisions without stopping for more than a few seconds. I really like working that fast. It’s the opposite of the way I illustrate, which is usually slow and methodical, with a lot of erasing and redrawing.
4. It’s a great way to trick my body into doing squats.
Nuff said. ;P
5. I love creating unexpected delight for the people who come to the park after me.
It makes me smile to think of kids coming into the park with their parents and saying “Wow! Look at that big pretty drawing! I wanna draw too! Do we have any chalk?”
6. I love collaborating with my kids.
I make the shapes, and they color them in, or the other way around. Or sometimes we just spread out and fill the whole basketball court! It’s magical when we step back to see this giant colorful art show we made together.
7. It’s an easy creative outlet for days when I don’t feel up to painting.
Sometimes I just don’t have the mental space in my head to do the problem solving that’s involved with creating finished paintings and illustrations. I just am hoping for a quick win when I’m drawing, so chalk doodling is a great place to start.
8. It inspires new design ideas for other art pieces.
I enjoy putting flowing patterns into my art whenever I can, and the experimental chalk doodles bring new life to my “creative bank account” or mental/visual library. I have these new shapes at hand when I’m ready to explore new concepts in my sketchbook at home.
9. I get to share chalk with strangers.
It’s so great when a kid we’ve never met before comes and asks to draw with us. I am so happy to share and get a chance to encourage a young artist to make awesome things and have fun. Everyone involved feels this positive connection to other people in their community too, which is a lovely thing. :)
10. Doodles make a pretty awesome backdrop for kid photos.
Just sayin. 😏
