How Doodling Unlocks Your Imagination | Joe Whale | TED

00:03When I was younger, I used to get told off in class for doodling. I couldn't stop. My teacher would always stop me from doing this, and it was really worrying because as a creative person, it's something that I do naturally. After a few weeks at my art class, I was booked in because I was having this trouble at school.

00:26My teacher suggested something unusual. There was a big empty wall in a local restaurant. She asked them if I could draw on it. They said yes. So I started filling the restaurant wall with my artwork. People would come in and watch me while they were eating.

00:43Photos started appearing online. Then the local newspaper wrote about it, and suddenly, people all around the world were talking about this kid who couldn't stop doodling. That moment changed my life. I wasn't even trying to be an artist, but the important thing is how it started.

01:02It started with my imagination and parents who didn't disregard but embraced my passion. It started with the freedom to just draw. And that's what I want to talk about today, because the world is very different than when it was when I was first doodling 10 years ago.

01:19(Laughter) Today, it's possible to type prompts into AI, make anything and feel creative. But I believe there will always be value in letting our imaginations be the true driver of our creations. Because imagination is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes.

01:39But if you don't use it, it gets weaker and your body will rely on something else to do it for you. Creativity is not encouraged today. It's not given value, so it's easy to turn to the tools right in front of us and get an instant result. But you don't learn by going straight to the end.

01:56You learn from the journey. Everything begins with a thought, an idea, a meaning or a vision. That's your imagination. The beginning. And that beginning influences what you do from that point. It's freedom. Imagination is the first step, and direction flows through the creation.

02:15You're letting yourself literally wander wherever you wish. The freedom to go anywhere. Because that first step is coming from you and not something else. What I can see is we'll be reliant to replace something we all need and all have. We'll be handing it off just because it's easier.

02:35And that worries me because for everyone growing up around AI, they'll see it as normal to sacrifice their unique perspective, becoming more and more shaped, even defined, by what they can't control. I'm just going to show you something visually now.

02:52I often start my artworks with a simple shape. I'm thinking something spiky here. And then big eye, like this. Then I'll add some other detail. Often when I'm creating in the moment, it helps me feel very free, so I can just flow with each character and each line.

03:29In New York, as I've traveled, I've seen lots of people on skateboards, so I'm going to draw one of them. Then I'll add the wheels in there. Then I often like to add icons, like a heart. I feel like it's very simple but very effective. And then I love these kind of eyes, like an alien, like that.

04:19Then I'll keep this going. The arms. And then the legs as well. And with this character, I'll just start with another simple shape. Like so, filling this. This guy's not very happy. (Laughter) And then what I like to do to balance an artwork, just add lines and shapes to just fill out the space.

05:14And movement lines, which give life to a piece. Something I always use. (Applause) I hope we can all take a step back from AI and embrace what makes us truly unique, our ability to convert figments of our imaginations and turn them into impactful realities.

06:14We face this choice every day. So let's embrace this uniqueness, this imagination, and the creativity that brings us all together. Thank you. (Applause and cheers)