Mr Doodle, real name Sam Cox, is a world-famous artist whose pieces have fetched just shy of $1m, and who took his first steps as an artist right here in his hometown of Tenterden.
CommunityAd were privileged enough to have a brief chat with Mr Doodle – who’s amassed over an incredible 2.8m followers on Instagram and worked with the likes of Puma and MTV – about his unique style, his recent donation of £10,000 to his former secondary school Homewood School, and his time spent growing up in our local neck of the woods.
Now 27, Mr Doodle spent the majority of his life in our humble abode of Tenterden and hasn’t lost his love for the place that developed his signature style, telling us: “It was very nice growing up in Tenterden, I have lived here since I was about two years old. I used to go to Tenterden park with my friends and play a game we called ‘running game’ and we also used to film ourselves doing funny things. I loved going to the local schools too, I enjoyed the art lessons.
“I really loved my time at Homewood School. I actually used to sell sweets at school for about three years of my time there. I saved up the money to afford to go to study at university without having to get a part time job. My favourite memories of being at Homewood are mostly of times I spent in C block, studying Graphics, which I really loved. I have great memories of just spending hours and hours each day creating endless piles of drawings.”
Not only has he expressed his love for Homewood School via his words, but the incredibly generous donation speaks a thousand, or even ten-thousand words.
Mr Doodle explained his motivation behind the £10,000 donation adding: “I wanted to donate the money to Homewood because it was such a special place for me growing up. It is where I particularly developed my personal style of drawing, so it is a very important place for me. The teacher who helped me a great deal while I was studying there is keeping me in the loop with how the money will be spent.”
We also wanted to find out a little bit more about how he developed his style and his early inspirations, with Mr Doodle telling us: “I take inspiration from many artists, from Banksy to Walt Disney, I have learned to pick things about each artist’s body of work that applies to me and take it and use it in a way I see fit. I like the work of graffiti and street artists the most and particularly enjoy the work of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
“With my work I try to create a happy visual doodle language that can engage and relate to everyone from all over the world. My message in my work is to spread joy and bring people together through artwork that everyone can understand and find something they like.”
Has doodling and developing your art helped you mentally and socially at all?
“Yes, I think that doodling is very good for the brain, to help you relax and feel happy. I always feel much better after a full day of doodling, I’m always in a better mood and feel like my brain has had a good workout.
“I am planning on doodling over an entire house in 2021! So, watch out for the documentary which will be released later this year. I also have a few shows and exhibitions planned for later in the year too.”