CHENNAI: As a kid, I was used to scribbling behind my notebook. That’s my first experience with doodle,” says Pooja Sitharthan, the doodle artist. Now at 26, she runs her own venture, The Happiness Factory. She was inspired to pursue doodling as a career because of Instagram posts that motivated her. However, it was not easy for her to set foot in the doodling industry. “My parents were skeptical about my career choice because they didn’t know much about doodle artists. But once I started earning enough to make my ends meet, they were happy,” she says. Pooja doodles on paper and then digitises it using Photoshop before printing it on the products.
She believes that it is important to be consistent in order to achieve goals. She is inspired by the consistency of Neha Doodles and Mr Doodles, two popular Instagram handles. Pooja, a NIFT graduate, believes that it is important to have a role model, who can groom you to achieve success in life.
Pooja usually keeps herself updated with current affairs. “It helps me choose a theme for my doodles and make them relevant. I usually watch a lot of YouTube videos to keep a tab on the trending events. Doodling fills the empty spaces in life and it helps to explore different elements and present them coherently,” she says.
Pooja believes that it is necessary to have a mind of an entrepreneur to sell your artwork. “To survive in this industry, you need to have a lot of contacts and you need to reach out to them through all mediums. Earlier I used to sell my products through shops and online portals,” she says.
Apart from being an entrepreneur, she also conducts workshops. Most of the people who attend the workshop, just want to try doodling. “My workshops are kids friendly. I always ask my students, be it an adult or a kid to keep trying. We can only be good at our work after committing mistakes and learning from it,” she says. At her recent workshop, she narrated a story and the participants had to pick various elements from the story and doodle it.
Pooja follows her own work ethics; she doesn’t work on weekends. While working, she prefers listening to music as it helps her concentrate better. “My work playlist consists of only soft music. I would like to listen to some soothing tune while working,” she says.
Like most of the artists, Pooja also loves to travel. She says that travelling inspires her a lot. She always carries a notebook with herself where she notes down or draws a rough sketch of elements that inspire her.
Her Favourites
Movie: Avenger series
Doodle artist: Neha Doodle
Personality: Lily Singh (YouTuber)
