Doodling as Performance Art

We've all, at one time or another, found ourselves doodling during class or a company meeting. But for most of us, the thought of sharing our cute little doodles with a public audience is something that... well... grownups just don't do. Try telling that to the crew of scribbling bohemians called WeeWillDoodle. Armed with ink pens and perpetual kid-like imaginations, their large scale doodles are taking the Filipino cultural scene by storm.

Based in the city of Baguio, Phillippines, WeeWillDoodle is an energized group of eight hardcore doodlists. Their orchestrations of lines, geometric motifs, and cute little characters--monsters, smiling skulls, cows, and robots--are inked on the walls of cafes and galleries. Their live improv doodling is featured at music venues and crowded shopping mall events. They transform the seemingly inane process of doodling into a hybrid blend of performance art, street art, and Saturday morning cartoons. According to the group website, "You basically start out with nothing in mind, letting thoughts and imaginations flow through the pen and letting it take you to wherever it wants at that point in time. You may call it mindless, if you compare it to other kinds of artwork, and that's the beauty of doodling."



Collaboration is the Key
Back in 2007, during casual doodle sessions with friends, Neiz Yumul would start a doodle on scratch paper then pass it to everyone. As the paper went around, each member would add more and more doodles to the picture. The pleasure of collaborative doodling became a regular pastime, which lead Neiz to formalizing the group into a team. "I introduced the idea of having a doodle show after my last solo exhibit to contrast my digital artwork with traditional doodles," says Neiz. "I coined the name WeeWillDoodle. The 'ee' signifies fun, which is key to our work."

The group's collective efforts are bound together by their childhood love of drawing. The team recalls drawing with schoolchildren during a recent event: “Kids are the undisputed masters of doodling, they have so much energy and so many raw ideas that are free from all the insecurities and limitations that we adults have. It was so much fun to draw with them. The characters they made were off the wall!" Ramil Escorda says, "Doodling has always been a part of me. Ever since I was small there’s no notebook that I didn’t doodle on! Whenever I’m bored or stressed out, there’s always a blank paper for the taking."

Doodling is important to WeeWillDoodle member Tioan Medrano, who works as an illustrator and graphic designer. "This unique creative impulse helps inspire my creative thinking process. Every design I make starts with doodling," says Tioan. For her doodling is just part of the adventure. "I was a finance person in my past life, am an artist today, and will be a musician in my next life." But she says that art is "still my first love."

So, the next time you're bored during a lecture or business meeting, why not turn that little doodle into an idea that could change your future? Try following Neiz's lead: "I get inspired by anything, it might be as simple as a drop of rain or as complex as the cross-section of an airplane."

Lots more at the WeeWillDoodle website: Click here.