The “Doodle of the Day” began in January 2020 from a place of struggle with writing - I couldn’t manage having small daily (or even weekly) pockets for creating texts. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to write because my PhD thesis was waiting to be turned into a book and I hadn't published any journal articles for some months already. But with a full-time job and everything else I just couldn't find the necessary focus.  

 

At the same time I did find the energy to create visuals and full doodles whenever I needed to explain my research and give presentations. So I decided to follow my instincts and replace texts with drawings. I figured that maybe I can connect with people and share stories & ideas differently and recognised that I didn't really care about what was expected from me in terms of academic writing.

This was the beginning of my early morning or late evening drawing sessions. 

 

Drawing has given me so much joy. It's really special to experience a wave of inspiration - sometimes it comes from something I read, sometimes it's from something I hear, sometimes it's something I have felt before but now has (re)surfaced.

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I tend to get very clear images in my head of what I want to create and also the titles come to me quickly. The drawing process itself, however, often takes hours and hours because the doodle needs to feel right. 

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The drawings are available as prints and postcards - send me a message or email me (liiri.oja@gmail.com) if you're interested in one of them. 

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