Concordia student Amanda Mizera-Latkowska represented Canada in international doodling contest
Concordia student Amanda Mizera-Latkowska had never taken part in such a contest before, but she got past her nerves and decided to go for it. What was this important international contest about? The noble and very stylish art of doodling.
Mizera-Latkowska represented Canada in the final stage of Red Bull Doodle Art, in Cape Town, South Africa. From Oct. 24 to 26, her artwork was exposed as part of World Design Capital 2014.
In May, the energy drink company challenged university students from 27 different countries to create their best doodle. Mizera-Latkowska first heard about the event through one of her friends, who encouraged her to participate.
When she created her art piece, Mizera-Latkowska was listening to her favourite songs, like “You Got To Go” by Above and Beyond. She explained that music has always influenced everything she draws. “In art, there’s nothing you could ever ruin. It will just transform into something new, so that’s something I learned with time and I guess it started somewhere and it ended up growing and growing,” she said.
Her drawing is extremely detailed. Its centerpiece is a girl, whose outline was inspired by The Little Mermaid’s Ariel. She is surrounded by many intricate elements, such as waves, diamonds, feathers, a moon and a raven. Mizera-Latkowska explained that they all represented the girl’s thoughts. It was a way for her to represent how everyone has weird things going on in their minds: “some of them make sense, some of them don’t,” she said.
For Camille Dumont-Masson, Red Bull student brand manager, it was no surprise that Mizera-Latkowska came in Canada’s first place. “She doodled something that was close to her and her world, and didn’t go for what she thought Red Bull expected from the winner, and that’s what the contest was all about,” she said. “Her artwork was really outstanding. Not only did she manage to attract a lot of social media attention, which is a great sign of a successful art piece, she really doodled something unique.”
The doodles were judged based on their creativity and style, but also on the amount of Facebook “likes” they received. The fact that so many people showed their appreciation and support towards her art was, as she put it, unexpected yet very encouraging.
As a national winner, Mizera-Latkowska was invited to spend a few days in Cape Town, where all the finalists’ doodles were to be exhibited in the Global Design Gallery from Oct. 24 to 26. Cape Town was this year’s World Design Capital, a title given to cities which use design for social, cultural and economic development.
To showcase the drawings, interactive and personalized modules were created by Red Bull’s design branch, each one meant to represent the participant’s country. Mizera-Latkowska’s doodle was displayed in the shape of an Inukshuk—which are man-made landmarks built by First Nations people in the Arctic Circle—and placed inside a snow globe. Snow swirled inside the globe when visitors pressed a red button attached to the structure.
“They literally go big or go home,” said Mizera-Latkowska about the Red Bull company. She also explained how this trip was about so much more than the initial contest: it was also about celebrating art and discovering the local culture.
The participants were invited to visit the city and learn more about its history, all the while feeling at home. Mizera-Latkowska recalled the warm welcome with which they were greeted at the airport, the overjoyed Red Bull representatives hugging them. “Red Bull is really all about creating lifetime memories for students and enhance their university experience,” said Dumont-Masson about the company.
Mizera-Latkowska drew her doodle by hand, with a fine point Sharpie. It is her favourite method, but meeting the other artists in Cape Town has made her want to try different medium. “Everyone has a different style, and they all have their different inspiration as well, so it was cool how we all clicked and fed off each other,” she explained, recalling with a smile how they all bonded. “They were all so amazing. Some of them really blew my mind.”
Mizera-Latkowska graduated from Vanier College in 2008 with a DEC in Graphic Design. She is currently studying psychology at Concordia. She decided to pursue her studies in a different field, partly because she has always been passionate about the brain, body language and kinetics. She also believes she can pursue her art and learn on her own, as long as she remains determined.
This contest has given this young artist the inspiration to continue and strive towards her goals. Having a few ongoing projects on the side—friends in her entourage have asked her to create and paint personalized designs in their houses—she said, “Anyone can do anything they want, as long as they put their mind to it.”
For more information on the Red Bull Doodle Art contest and the numerous doodles created, visit redbulldoodleart.com.
