Young Boy Lands Job Decorating Restaurant with Drawings After Getting in Trouble During Class for Doodling

By Kayla Kunkel November 9, 2019 at 8:12am

A 9-year-old boy is proving how far children can go if adults in their life support their creativity.

Joe Whale has been doodling for as long as his dad can remember.

Greg Whale, Joe’s father, told Cater News that he and his wife didn’t start to notice their son’s talent until a couple of years ago.

“Joe is a really talented little boy, he’s excelling at school, he’s a great footballer and cricketer, but drawing is definitely what he is most passionate about,” Whale told Metro. “It’s actually quite annoying, he’s better than me at most things.”

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But soon Joe’s talent got him in trouble at school.

“When I finish my work, I normally get a whiteboard, get a pen and just doodle on the whiteboard,” Joe told Cater News. “I would get told to stop and help my partner.”

Joe’s parents noticed that their son didn’t have many opportunities to express his creativity so they enrolled him in local art classes at a school called Bloom.

Kerry Jones, the owner of the art school, is passionate about fostering creativity in her students and providing an encouraging environment to allow them to unleash their inner artist.

“Bloom workshops are guided by the idea that children can create freely gaining confidence, celebrating their own unedited ability to produce vibrant art in a fun and energetic environment,” the school’s website further explains.

“It makes me feel happy that I can express myself because all of the creations just come from my head,” Joe said. “I can dream of them just coming to life and like me shaking hands with them and giving them high fives.”

While talking with Jones after class one day, Joe mentioned his doodle book that contained all of his work.

Jones took a picture of one of the pages from the book and posted it on Bloom’s Instagram page.

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Someone from a local restaurant called Number Four saw the teacher’s post and wanted to ask Joe to fill one of their walls with his doodles.

“When my dad first brought it up, I was really excited but I thought it was going to be really small. Then when I looked at the wall, it was ginormous,” Joe recalled. “I was like, ‘How am I going to fit all the ideas in there?’

“But then, I don’t know how but they just sprung to life.”

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Joe’s art will be featured in the main dining room of the Shrewsbury, England, restaurant.

His mother also manages an Instagram account to feature the young artist’s work.

“Joe loves doodling and we’re so proud of everything he’s achieving,” Whale said, according to the Metro. “The fact that a completely independent business has asked our nine-year old son to do a professional piece of work for them is incredible.”

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