What is a Thoodle?

A Thoodle is a creature that has come from a thought or a feeling. No matter how big or small the thought or feeling, once they are born from a creative action they will take on a personality of their own! This act of creation can be anything from drawing, sketching, writing even baking, knitting or gardening, it's all creative. 

The idea of the Thoodles came from a rough time in my life when I was working a high stress job in a negative environment, I used to doodle a lot when I was stressed, just mindlessly filling a page with random shapes or creatures whether that was on the back of receipts at work, or at home in my sketchbook. I noticed that I was doodling the same characters, the first being who we now call Oggy. When I started realising that these little goofy characters were helping my stress lower and have fun, maybe they could help others too. 

Throughout my life I've always been artsy and crafty, at school I loved it until I was told that it was pointless, there are no jobs in the arts, and even if there were then I wasn’t good enough to make it. I can’t draw, at least not classically or anatomically correct which is what they wanted (Captain Carrot is proof I always had a ‘different’ style). So I was told to drop it, not to bother, look somewhere else to be creative. So as most of us would do, I focused on something else, even though being artsy and crafty brings me such joy. 

Back from my school days… I have definitely improved!

It's taken a long time for me to figure out that arts and crafts shouldn't be about the end result, it's about the process and how positive it can be for you. Picking up my old hobbies was so much fun and therapeutic for me that my old teacher's words eventually got quieter. To a point where I don’t care if what I’m doing is terrible, it’s fun. That is something that I am trying to encourage with the Thoodles. 

Being Creative in any form is so good for the mind, body and soul that it shouldn't be pushed away because you’re not ‘good’ at it, there is no such thing as being 'bad at it! As long as you’re having fun, relaxing, or getting something at all out of the process, you are in fact good at it. 

Now it’s going to sound a bit pretentious here but bear with me! A quote I personally love from Chris DeRubies is ‘All art should inspire and evoke emotion’. This perfectly sums up the art world. We’ve all seen the wide variety of art that is out in the world, some of it being ultra hyperrealistic paintings of 18th century families, to obscure abstract art that's timeless. Well both of those will extract a certain feeling or emotion from you, whether that is a positive or negative reaction does not matter. It's that you felt or reacted. That is the qualifier of art, if it makes you feel or react to it, then its art, however the reception of the art is entirely subjective. Someone might absolutely love hyperrealism, whereas the next person could see that same love for abstract art. Those two people don't need to agree on their opinions, they both know that art is and will always be subjective. That’s why art can’t be good or bad, it just is art. 

Despite my slight detour about perceptions of the arts and craft world, it is important to me that people of all ages be creative. The amount of people that claim they haven't got a creative bone in their body, yet cook from the heart, dance , or garden. It's all about expression, you are expressing yourself through choices you make and that is nurturing for the soul. 

So many people that I have spoken to at various craft fairs, markets or just at events all say that they think being creative is for kids. Yes children may have a more intense imagination because they’re discovering the world and how it all works, but that imagination doesn't shut off, it shifts and changes into fun ways to work its way into your life. Maybe as an adult you don’t think about a brand new hybrid dinosaur and fish that can breathe fire like a kid might, but you might think up new ways to change recipes, or style an outfit. 

It’s all creation, just different forms, so be careful because a Thoodle could be born!

Hopefully this slightly detouring word explosion will help you understand what a Thoodle is and why it's so important to me that they are born.

Matt and the Thoodles :)

p.s. If your old art work makes you cringe it means you’ve grown and improved!