By Noreen Braman
Communications and Technology Manager, New Jersey Lawyers Assistance Program
Aug. 2 is National Coloring Book Day. By now, most of us are aware of the proliferation of coloring books for adults, and some of us may have undertaken this nostalgia-filled hobby. What some may not know is that coloring and doodling have been scientifically proven to improve well-being. Both pursuits, which have finally gained their place as art forms in their own right, can help individuals manage stress.
An article on doodling in Attorney at Work discusses how when individuals engage in the seemingly absent-minded activity it “occupies one part of the mind, while another part of the mind does the work.” A 2009 study found that those who doodled while listening to lectures retained more of the information. Unlike daydreaming, doodling does not distract the brain, but allows more cognitive and creative freedom. Mathematician Stanislaw Ulam turned a doodle into a discovery about prime numbers that would be called “Ulam’s Spiral,” which may have provided the solution to a math problem that has been baffling mathematicians since 1742. President John F. Kennedy doodled during the Cuban missile crisis and some of his drawings inspired an artist to re-envision them as three-dimensional sculptures.
The law can be a stressful profession and now there are even coloring books for lawyers (with many focusing more on humor than art). Coloring can place the mind in a meditative state through its physical motions and the visual tracking involved. Attorney Carvill Parvin credits drawing with helping him “see things others did not see,” allowing him to anticipate and plan for things that could affect his cases. An article in LawCare.org discusses how doodling can increase concentration and help an individual connect with their emotions. The mind relaxes during doodling, which helps with problem solving, learning, information retention and creativity. As lawyer Gail Gresham said, “For me, there are so many parallels between art and the law. Both allow me to think creatively and to take a risk.”
All you need to do is start with a little doodle.
The New Jersey Lawyers Assistance Program (NJLAP) is a confidential, free and independent program that assists New Jersey lawyers, judges, law students and law graduates with substance use and mental health issues affecting personal and professional well-being. NJLAP is funded by all members of the bar and with administrative support from the New Jersey State Bar Association. To contact NJLAP, call 800-246-5527 or visit njlap.org.
Read more about doodling, coloring, art and lawyering:
Art and the Law
plaintiffmagazine.com/recent-issues/item/art-and-law-is-there-a-connection
JFK Doodles
buzzfeednews.com/article/andrewkaczynski/11-fascinating-doodles-jfk-drew-during-the-cuban-missile-cri
siarchives.si.edu/blog/john-f-kennedy-doodles-anacostia
Presidential Doodles
cbsnews.com/pictures/presidential-doodles/4/
Free mini coloring books
Dover Publications
The benefits of art, doodling and coloring for lawyers
attorneyatwork.com/doodle-boost-productivity/
legaltechdesign.com/2017/04/drawing-for-lawyers/
myshingle.com/2012/08/articles/future-trends/future-fridays-doodling-the-law/
lawcare.org.uk/news/doodle-away-your-stress-simple-art-therapy-for-busy-lawyers
cordellblog.com/client-development/why-being-an-artist-will-make-you-a-better-lawyer/
survivelaw.com/post/875-the-art-of-law-lawyers-turned-artists
repository.library.northeastern.edu/files/neu:333040/fulltext.pdf
More Information
ecokidsart.com/why-coloring-and-doodling-is-great-to-meditate-and-relieve-stress-for-adults/
health.harvard.edu/blog/the-thinking-benefits-of-doodling-2016121510844
health.clevelandclinic.org/3-reasons-adult-coloring-can-actually-relax-brain/
mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/coloring-is-good-for-your-health
cordellblog.com/client-development/why-being-an-artist-will-make-you-a-better-lawyer/
survivelaw.com/post/875-the-art-of-law-lawyers-turned-artists
repository.library.northeastern.edu/files/neu:333040/fulltext.pdf
Lawyer Artists
Henri Matisse. Mostly to make his lawyer father happy, the French artist went to Paris to study law in 1887. When he came back to Saint-Quentin, he got a job as a clerk in a law office-- and promptly came down with appendicitis. His mother brought him oil paints to pass the time during recovery, and that was that. “From the moment I held that box of colors in my hand, I knew this would be my life,” Matisse later said.
Wassily Kandinsky. The abstract artist was more involved in abstractions of a different kind during his younger years. He studied law and economics at the University of Moscow and taught both not long after getting his degree.
Stacy Conradt, Mental Floss, May 24, 2012