Doodle me a life

Saloni Patel talks of real girl problems. Pic/Shadab Khan

The dictionary meaning of doodle is "a drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied" - basically, those squiggly lines we make in the back of our notebooks as we sit through a boring meeting or class.

In an article in The Atlantic, author Steven Heller (who specialises on topics related to graphic design) had said, "It is a form of expression that often triggers insights and discoveries that aren't possible through words alone. Just think of all those napkins [or Post-Its] on which million-dollar ideas were sketched out." Heller could be right, and there are many out there who are making sure doodling is an art form that says something relevant.

Sumouli Dutta usually talks of a mother and daughter cribbing about marriage

For Mounica Tata of @doodleodrama, it all started at Christ College, Bengaluru, in an attempt to rebel against strict professors as she studied mass communication. "After a few doodles, people started huddling around me, asking me to draw this teacher, and doodle that one. Then one day, I got caught, but the professors saw the lighter side. A doodle has the power to get the message across without being offensive," says the 30-year-old, who quit her job in client servicing in 2016 and started putting up her doodles on Instagram.

She now makes cartoons for corporates and NGOs. She started off doodling illustrations in 2016, but slowly, activism and the need to express her opinion crept in. It started off with simple observations about misogyny - "have you noticed how everything related to women is always more expensive, for example haircuts or lingerie?"

Mounica Tata started sketching about her teachers, and now sketches about girl issues

Today, in a world that needs it the most, she speaks about sexism, and marital rape - with texts like "Dear Younger me, the world will not make sense sometimes (MOST TIMES). There will be chaos and madness. But there will also be magic (THAT IS YOU!) Just remember that". "The cartoon about marital rape went out of control - I got trolled, and got rape threats. I retreated into a shell with all the backlash. But then I realised I can't censor myself just because someone had an issue with [what I post]."

Kolkata-based Sumouli Dutta whose Instagram account goes by the name @woodledoodledesigns, started using doodling as something that "took her out of chaos". Her doodles range from talking about a mother asking her daughter to get married, to dating quips. "The mom and daughter comics about marriage are most liked by my followers. It's such a universal issue!" says the 28-year-old, who works as a visual merchandiser.

Saloni Patel, who runs @moodyymoo, talks about issues all women will relate to - PMS and going braless top her list. "Even #MondayMotivation works well. The number of likes reflect what people like seeing and reading about. I never thought this kind of 'art' could be a career option." Patel, who lives in Wadala, now illustrates for various brands as a freelance artist. She says Plan A was to do an MBA. But she knew that it didn't feel right. "Doodles are such an easy way to say what needs to be said, all the while not making it serious."

Meera Latkar says she has worked on developing her own style by watching the works of other illustrators. She doodles about millennial life. Pic/Sameer Markande

In an article in the Huffington Post, Jesse Prinz, a philosophy professor at City University of New York Graduate Center, who studies doodling in the context of research in art, says doodling keeps people in a state of "pure listening". This could mean that they process information better, and then put it out there more effectively, even if it translates into making slice of life stories that make viewers go "wow, that could be me".

Mumbai-based illustrator Meera Latkar Nemlekar, who was always the little kid scribbling in the corner, says her millennial problem doodles get the most reaction. "I talk about the anger we feel when we leave our headphones at home, or the type of Instagram followers we all have. It's all about making it funny enough to laugh out loud, and then to make it relatable." She has also worked on her style through the years. This has involved following other artists and drawing all the time.

"Artists always have to grow together, and getting inspired is a part of the work." Nemlekar also makes an important point when she says it's the digital revolution, along with the advent of social media, that could be seen as the reason why doodling elevated to an art form. "Had it not been for your phones or iPads, the doodle would have remained in notebooks."

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