As he sat in his bright hotel room, waiting for the day to proceed, he was reading Robb Report, a popular lifestyle magazine. The topics didn’t exactly intrigue him. But the idea that something so simple and homely as a magazine could be used to spread his ideas about the things he loved, specifically art, took over his mind.

Visual art had always been his passion. He’d experimented with styles, done a few works. For him, and many others, art wasn’t just sketching, painting and drawing. For him, anything that brought on creativity and passion in the minds of the doer was art.

Fast forward to today, Aditya Navin’s dream project, The Doodler, has just taken off. Navin, who is 14 years old, along with his team of friends and fellow creatives, have launched a magazine where art and creativity are discussed, emphasized and appreciated. They have a professional website, partnerships and even news articles from The Star, the biggest English newspaper in Malaysia.

“Art and writing have been longtime passions and hobbies of mine,” says Navin. “The Doodler became a way to combine the things I love into one creative platform. Once I connected with friends who shared the same vision, we brought it to life.”

Despite starting off as a passion project, The Doodler has come to mean something more personal for Navin and his team, and they hope to make a serious impact on the art world.

“I began to see young artists who are passionate and talented – but they often remain unknown, supported by a small community when they could be so much more,” said Navin on the situation of artists. “There aren’t enough platforms that take their (young artists) voices seriously.”

Knowing he couldn’t pull this off alone, Navin gathered a group of his close friends and fellow creatives to work together. The sense of community within the team has only grown since their inception, and no matter the roadblocks that have occurred, they have stuck together, with most of the original members still part of the team and performing at their best.

“The team started with people I already knew, and who shared the same passion for art,” says Navin. “It didn’t matter what type of art: abstract, expressionism, doodles or even the branches in music or drama, we all loved art. From there, it grew into a proper team.”

It’s not all fun and games however. The Doodler publishes irregularly, but they still have set due dates for submissions, no matter what role the members have. There is a clear hierarchy within the members, with heads of departments, senior members, and of course, base members.

“I joined The Doodler to embrace my creative side and support the cause of spreading art and culture for a better world,” says Cedric Tze Yu Siew, one of the senior journalists at The Doodler. “As a senior journalist, the first step for me in writing an article is to decide on the topic. Usually, I look at subtopics that are not talked about enough.”

“After conjuring up an idea, the next step is to write the introduction and hook,” he says. “Lastly, the main body and conclusion come. Here, I slowly reveal parts of the subtopic and eventually address it directly.”

Almost a year had passed since the creation of the magazine, with two issues released, when they contacted The Star– one of the most prestigious newspapers in Southeast Asia. After much discussion and communication between the two parties, the magazine was featured in the newspaper.

“When I received the news that our magazine was featured, I was ecstatic,” shared Siew. “I rushed to celebrate with the whole team, only to realize that I was late to the news! That moment marked the greatest achievement of the magazine so far—with more to come.”

In the end, the purpose of this magazine has always been beyond a few teenagers and their dreams. The end goal, according to the creators, was to impact the lives of artists everywhere for the better.

“Young artists, and even many artists in general, face numerous challenges,” says Navin. “They struggle with a lack of exposure. They face financial barriers, with art supplies being expensive and paid opportunities scarce. And due to the belief that “Art isn’t a real job”, families typically discourage art as a profession.”

“I sincerely believe it is our job to help change this,” he says. “I have a hope that one day, through our work, no one will be scared to call themselves an artist,” he says.

To learn more about/contact The Doodler:

Website: https://thedoodlermagazine.framer.website/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/thedoodler.official/

Email: [email protected]