A Pattern To My Thoughts

Lately, every time I pick up a marker and start doodling, all I can draw are patterns. They usually start with a basic shape, like a circle. Sometimes it starts with the silhouette of something - a fish, for example. Then waves of patterns begin coming out from the original shape till I hardly have room left on the paper/sidewalk/napkin. I'm usually not satisfied with what I've drawn until I go back and add tiny repetitive details to the patterns and shapes, and by the time I'm done, I feel relaxed and less cluttered.

When I first started doing this, I became pretty worried that my brain was broken or something. I seriously thought that maybe there was something wrong with me.

(Maybe I needed to get a new bed sheet set?)

I always plan out what I draw, even if I'm just doodling. Letting my mind go while my pen wanders is a completely new feeling to me.

I realized that maybe this was a good thing when I went to the bookstore about a week ago. There were all these books on display about learning to draw mandalas. I remembered studying the intricate Buddhist mandalas in one of my art history courses, so I was interested in what all the hype was about them. After I scanned through a few pages in the book, I learned that many people use mandalas to meditate. This started to make a lot of sense because I've always like the idea of meditating, but the practice was so hard for me. However, when I sit and draw these patterns, my focus is so basic and most of the background noise in my mind evaporates.

My next big realization came after I doodled this picture:

Could I apply this method to a medium that I'm more comfortable with?