Vanakkam! I’m Meena Murugappan and I love doodling.

I love the freedom that comes with not dictating the final outcome; the freedom that allows exploration, discovery and evolution; the freedom that absorbs intentions, consequences and mistakes in equal measure and allows an idea to blossom into something delicate and poetic on paper.

As this is my first blog post, I thought you might like to know a little bit about me.

I’m originally from Chennai (Madras), India but spent most of my childhood in what was then a sleepy little town: Dubai, UAE. As a child, I was a constant doodler. My pencil wandered on the back pages of my notebooks creating tiny scribbles, snow flakes and mehendi patterns.

After graduating from school, I studied at Anna University in Chennai and received my Bachelor’s degree in Architecture in 2001. During architecture school, I learnt the fundamentals of sketching and learnt to translate my doodles into meaningful spaces and built-form. After graduation, I worked as a design architect in Dubai, during which time my doodles invaded the back pages of my sketchbooks, my drawing sheets and my meeting notes.

I went on to study Real Estate Development and earned my Master’s degree from MIT, Boston in 2006. I worked as a real estate development advisor in Dubai for several years while the doodles languished on the margins of my notepads.

My husband, my daughter and I moved back to India three years ago. During a quiet evening spent testing out a new set of fine liners, I completed my first piece. Two weeks later, I completed another. Since then, I’ve worked on larger and more complex pieces. Finally, the doodles had moved from the margins to occupy full pages.

For me, what started as a personal hobby has since become a passionate commitment and has lead to several personal and privately commissioned works. I hope to continue inking new dreams and would love for you to join me on these journeys.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my new website and blog! I would love to hear your comments and feedback,so feel free to contact me via email, Facebook and Pinterest pages.