Kennebunk High School senior named Maine's 'Doodle for Google' contest winner

KENNEBUNK, Maine — Nines Flanders can find artistic inspiration through such everyday acts as taking a walk around the block and driving around and listening to music.

“I have recently been trying to not experience joy solely through rare profound experiences, but rather simple events in my day-to-day life,” Flanders said.

It is interesting, then, that the joy Flanders finds in day-to-day life has led to a rare experience: on Thursday, May 26, the Kennebunk High School senior was honored as the statewide winner of the 14th annual Doodle for Google competition.

“I was pretty surprised when I found out I was the statewide winner,” Flanders said. “Initially, I thought there were multiple statewide winners, and I happened to be one of them, which is an achievement within itself. I was a bit shocked when I was told only one person wins per state or territory.”

From here, Flanders has a shot at winning Google’s nationwide competition, which would result in a $30,000 college scholarship for Flanders and a $50,000 technology package for Kennebunk High School.

Google would also use the doodle created by Flanders as its online logo on its homepage for a day, to be seen by millions who use the search engine.

Flanders and all the other contestants in the nation’s 50 states and four territories all had a single prompt from which to design their doodle: “I care for myself by...”

Flanders completed that sentence with a rich, colorful doodle that is best summed up as “finding serenity in the mundane.” In deep, rich hues, the doodle shows an animated Flanders walking along as musical notes flow from their ear buds. Those musical notes spell out “Google,” of course.

“I chose to make the colors vibrant because I felt the overall color palette would benefit from having such colors, along with conveying how music can influence the way you view your environment,” Flanders said. “In this case, I chose to show music saturating the world around me.”

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Flanders, who uses they-them-their for pronouns, enjoys creating character designs based on the stories they create or the objects they see around them. Flanders works digitally on the Procreate application, where most of their recent artwork is stored.

Flanders said they are most influenced in their artwork by local educators and friends who also are artists. They mention their friend, Manya, and their teachers and mentors, Brendan Roddy, Katie Mooney, and Marnie Rollerson, as inspirations.

“I feel these four have influenced and pushed me the most artistically,” Flanders said. “I am eternally grateful for their presence and impact in my life.”

Various music artists, including Will Wood, also inspire Flanders.

This fall, Flanders will be attending Rhode Island School of Design, where they plan to focus on illustration. Flanders said they hope to pursue a career as a concept artist and character designer for various media.

“I'm also hoping to study abroad during my college career, as I have been meaning to for the past few years,” Flanders said.

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But first, the contest. Through a public vote, Google will determine five national finalists who will be announced in the weeks ahead.

Flanders expressed gratitude for the celebration that Google representatives and KHS staff and students had for them on May 26.

“I felt truly appreciated and overwhelmed in the best way,” Flanders said. “I wasn't expecting such a large reception and recognition. Anything really would've made me happy, but I'm honored that they went all out for me.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kennebunk High School senior named Maine's 'Doodle for Google' contest winner