MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – If you see a copy of the idle times laying around, grab it. The once-a-semester publication can be tough to find, but it offers a wonderful peek into the creative mental wanderings of Middlebury students. The inspiration of Jackson Prince ’17, the idle times is a collection of student doodles, drawings, sketches, and cartoons from notebooks, scrap paper, or anywhere else restless hands can find a pen.
“Doodling very genuinely reflects the different things that occupy our thoughts when we're not paying attention,” said Prince, who launched the journal two years ago with friends Kean Haunt ’17, Krista Duke ’15, and Nolan Ellsworth ’17. “It's remarkable how distinct peoples' doodles are from one another–some people joke when they doodle, others vent, others just connect dots.”
The friends recognized that many of these drawings, which would likely be seen by no one but the artist, were worth sharing with a wider audience.
The idea for a publication came about when Prince, a confessed doodler himself, took a class with Haunt and was struck by his notebook sketches. “I was so entertained by them,” says Prince. “They were full of life and humor, unlike his notes.”
Prince noticed a strong relationship between Haunt’s whimsical drawings and the notes themselves. He says the doodles actually enhanced the notes. It was about this time that the two friends joined forces to create their sketching collective.
With an intentionally simple design–the book has no words except for a list of contributors on the last page–Prince aims for a democratic feel in which skilled and unskilled artists appear side-by-side. The “quality” of the artwork is not the point, he says. The fun is to see what people come up with when their subconscious minds need to create.
So far, the journal has attracted about 25 contributors per issue–submission is open to anyone–but Prince is hopeful that number will grow in the future. “We’d love to have 40 or more contributors,” he said. “We try to include at least one submission from every contributor.”
In its first year, the times won an “Outstanding New Organization” award at the annual Student Leadership Awards ceremony. More importantly, it created a new outlet for creative expression on campus. Prince says he’s proud of how far the publication has come and looks forward to handing it off to new editor, Kaitlynd Collins ’19.5, when he graduates in May.
The final issue of the 2016-17 academic year is expected to appear on campus around May 12. To request a copy, email Jackson Prince.