I am not good at drawing, or really any kind of art (unless you count writing, I guess). Growing up, even trying to do art frustrated me, which in hindsight was probably because I am so competitve; my dad and one of my two brothers can put beautiful sketches to paper with ease.

But a few weeks ago, I decided that I needed to take up a new “me time” hobby. Journaling has always been my go-to, but right now, I have a lot of school writing on my plate. I felt like doing more writing as a means for attempting to reduce stress would be counterproductive.

So, I decided to try scribbling. I just start making doodles, usually with no end goal in mind. As the scribbles come together, I start to envision what it is that I actually want to draw. Consider it “improv drawing,” if you will.

I don’t think many people would consider the final products pretty, and I can’t believe I am actually letting one of them get published on the internet. I don’t even finish all of them (see the attempted flower in the photo). But I don’t care. Like pretty much every other college senior in the world, I have to do a lot of things with the intention of impressing other people, like professors, potential employers and even peers. My doodles are for me, and me only. And I have fun making them.

Have a Bright Spot to share? Send it to Managing Editor Julia Lerner (lernerj@denison.edu). Tell us about the moment that made you smile in under 200 words, and try to include a photograph. We’ll add it to our growing list of Bright Spots on TheReportingProject.org!