Many high schoolers doodle on notes and homework when bored in class, and while it may annoy your teacher, there are quite a few benefits to doodling.  According to an article by TECHWELL, doodling actually can improve your focus and retain information that is being addressed. As an added plus, it also relieves stress, and “researchers speculate that doodling helps the brain remain active compared to the strain of paying single-minded, continuous attention.” While the rest of us may be drawing simple three-dimensional objects or flowers, senior Diego Bedoya takes doodling to a whole new level.

Inspired by a tattoo magazine, he started his artistic journey in seventh grade. Bedoya said, “I had really bad ADHD when I stopped taking medications, as they made me feel bad…so I decided to just draw what was in my head because it was the only thing that was in my head. A whole lot of nothing.” Bedoya focuses primarily on using dark colors and shading, creating masterful drawings. He currently is focusing his artistic abilities on skulls, flowers, different types of lettering and phrases.  

When asked if he would continue to hone his skills for life after school, Bedoya said: “I want to build on my artistic abilities and try to maybe get into college…or just go all the way into tattooing and try not to get super sidetracked in something that I don’t want to do.” Bedoya hopes to eventually work at a specific tattoo shop in Berlin called Der Grimm. Bedoya had met some of the team when they were at a Denver tattoo convention. “They were really nice and I’d love to work with them,” Bedoya said.

When asked if he would get tattoos for himself, he said, “When I run out of space [on my skin] I will be happy in the fact that I will be covered in incredible artwork of people I like.” He then continued saying, “I’m not going to get my own artwork tattooed on me because that’s like opening a gallery and purchasing your own artwork…You buy someone’s artwork because you like it.”

When Bedoya isn’t creating first-rate doodles, he can be found weightlifting, playing Rainbow Six Siege or perfecting his photography skills. He also wants to let the Boulder High community know that he currently has no permanent tattoos and that the ink found on his arm has had no health effects on him—so there is no cause for alarm.