Episode 19 — Your Brain on a Blank Page

Why can making a few repetitive marks on paper become so absorbing?

We explore the neuroscience of creativity, doodling, colouring and structured drawing — including why creativity isn’t a “right-brain” activity, how imagination and evaluation cooperate, and why constraints can sometimes make us more creative rather than less.

We also look at Zentangle, NeuroGraphica and mindfulness, separating what neuroscience genuinely supports from the much bigger claims sometimes made about creative practices.

Perhaps making art doesn’t always need to be about producing good art. Sometimes the interesting part is what happens while your hand is moving.