Dr Polly Dickson on BBC Radio 4 and the Art of Doodling

Dr Polly Dickson, literary scholar in German Studies at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, has recently brought her research on doodling and distraction into public view both on BBC Radio 4’s Free Thinking and through her essay “Doodle Nation: Notes on Distracted Drawing” in The Paris Review.

In the Free Thinking episode on Idleness, Polly joined host Matthew Sweet and a panel of thinkers to explore whether idleness might be a virtue in a society that prizes productivity. She discussed how activities like doodling — often dismissed as mere idle marks — can illuminate the workings of attention and creative thought. Alongside contributors including Tom Hodgkinson, Katrien Devolder, Gavin Francis and Steve Connor, the conversation examined the cultural value of moments when the mind wanders. Listen to the full show here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002n7pz.

Polly’s Paris Review article traces the evolution of doodling from spontaneous marginal sketches to a cultural phenomenon shaped by digital life and workplace practices. She highlights how doodling involves spontaneous mark‑making while attention is partly elsewhere, revealing our complex relationship with focus, creativity, and thought. Drawing on historical and cultural examples — from 1930s cinema to whimsical archive collections of doodles — the piece shows how distracted drawing can challenge conventional notions of attention and utility.(theparisreview.org)

Together, Polly’s media and written contributions offer a compelling perspective on how idleness and play‑like activities such as doodling open up new ways of thinking about creativity, cognition, and culture.