This Guided Sketchbook Rewired My Brain by Replacing Doomscrolling with Doodling

If you’re like me, you’re probably not feeling very creative these days. In my younger years I’d spend hours losing myself in creativity- journaling, sketching, collaging. These activities made me feel rejuvenated and relaxed– and I truly enjoyed exercising the artistic part of my brain. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when I lost my creative drive, but I’m pretty sure it was somewhere around the time I got a smartphone. 

Doomscrolling Dulls Creativity

These days, amid the hustle and bustle of work and the kids’ schedules, I have very little downtime, and the few minutes that I do take for myself are spent doomscrolling on social media. I find myself reflexively reaching for my phone anytime I feel tired, bored, stressed, even hungry. And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. So what is it that we’re searching for in the depths of the Internet? I think we’re longing to feel something real. We want to get back that spark of creativity we experienced when doing the relaxing, tactile activities we used to love. 

So how do we reignite our creative flame? Recently, I bought a blank sketchbook but found myself just staring at the pages in frustration. I needed a little nudge, something to help me remember how to be creative again, without starting from scratch. That’s when I discovered ALP’s Guided Sketchbook.

The Art Life Practice Guided Sketchbook Reignites Creativity 

This beautiful book has 38 artist-inspired prompts to spark inspiration and get you back into a daily creative routine. Available from ALP for just $45, It’s like a combination of an easy-to-digest art history book and a blank sketchbook. I started with a simple line-doodling activity and was amazed at how much calmer I felt just five minutes later. Instead of scrolling mindlessly on social media, I had used my hands to do something real, awakening neural pathways that had been dormant for years. Even if all I’d made was a series of squiggly lines on a page, those five minutes felt more productive than any I’d recently spent on my phone. 

The Brain Health Benefits

Increased Neuroplasticity 

Doing creative activities, especially tactile ones like doodling and drawing, have been shown to strengthen neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to form new neural pathways and strengthen old ones. In other words, when we engage in a creative, hands-on activity we are actually rewiring our brains for improved, memory, cognitive flexibility and problem solving. 

Stress Relief

Artistic activities such as drawing and collaging have been proven to have a calming effect, activating the brain’s pleasure centers and regulating the nervous system. For people who find traditional meditation difficult, the prompts in the Guided Sketchbook may be the perfect way to relax. Creative practices release dopamine in the brain, resulting in stress relief and improved mood. 

Improved Focus and Attention Span

Recent research has shown that our constant phone usage dulls our ability to focus. We scroll through countless videos that each only last a few seconds, our thoughts jumping from subject to subject without really processing any of it. We find it hard to sit quietly, drowning every moment of silence with mindless distractions. The good news is, we can retrain our brains. Research has shown that just a few minutes per day of non-digital, creative pursuits like the prompts in The Guided Sketchbook can improve our ability to focus and think critically.

Life Improvement Through Creative Play Prompts

The guided prompts in ALP’s Guided Sketchbook make it easy to start a creative practice. When I first opened my Guided Sketchbook, I tried the Five Petal Breath exercise, drawing flowers while breathing deeply in and out. The activity was so soothing I felt like I had just attended a meditation class. The next day, I tried the Torn Paper Chance Collage. As I chose where to place each scrap on the page, I found my creative spark slowly reigniting. After a week of spending just a few minutes each day with the Guided Sketchbook, my mind felt calmer, clearer and more focused than it had in a long time. 

Still Have Questions? 

Do I need artistic training to use the Guided Sketchbook? 

Absolutely not. The Guided Sketchbook is designed for everyone from beginners to seasoned artists and everything in between. The goal of this book is not to create artistic masterpieces, but to rediscover creativity through simple, user-friendly prompts. The directions are short and simple, taking the guesswork out of art-making so anyone can enjoy it.

How much time does it take each day? 

Each creative play prompt is designed to take just a few minutes to complete, though you may find yourself having so much fun you end up doing more than one! I set out with a goal of spending just five minutes with the Guided Sketchbook each evening as a way to unwind before bed, and have found that even this short period of time results in improved relaxation and calm. 

What materials do I need besides the book? 

Most of the prompts can be completed with just a simple pencil or pen, but you may want to use other materials such as colored pencils, felt-tipped pens or water colors. The Guided Sketchbook contains simple activities that do not require expensive materials. Feel free to use any items you’ve got lying around the house.

Start Your Creative Practice

The Guided Sketchbook from ALP has made it so easy to regain my creativity.The few precious minutes I spend with it each evening are some of the most relaxing, rewarding ones in my day. And the best part is, they’re just for me. No stress, no pressure, and no doomscrolling allowed. Pick up one for yourself today and discover the life-changing benefits of trading your phone for a creative practice.