When people find out that I write and draw for children I’m inevitably asked, “Why?”
Turns
out being a children’s illustrator can be a bit awkward in social
situations. It usually goes a bit like this, “Kevin, this is Mr.
Whatshisface. He constructs airplanes for the army and is the Head
Surgeon at Very Important Medical Office. Mr. Whatshisface, this is
Kevin. He draws the darlingest things for little kiddies.”
Mr.
Whatshisface will concede that there is a place in the world for what I
do and he maybe recalls being a child once upon a time. He’ll point out
that there are greater artistic opportunities that he’s sure I’m in
pursuit of and entertaining children is merely a stepping-stone.
Certainly, I long to fill galleries with opulent pieces of art that show
my deep inner turmoil or make a political statement. After all, I’m
very talented, he’ll say, and I shouldn’t waste my time drawing Fart
Monsters. He’ll then politely remove himself from the conversation in
search of someone of more interest to him.
The truth is, I love drawing and writing for children, and here’s why: Magic, Nostalgia and Laughter.
Let me explain.
Books
are magic. Children’s books especially. Think of the book WHERE THE
WILD THINGS ARE by Maurice Sendak. When you go back and look at it,
there’s very little to it. Very few words and it barely gets into the
inner workings of its fantastic world or even the Wild Things
themselves. But that’s where its beauty and its magic lies. To a child
that openness allows their imagination to take hold and build all of
that themselves. And when that child closes that book he/she can still
have endless adventures of their own in the land of the Wild Things.
If
you were lucky, that book was a part of your childhood in a big way.
You remember being fascinated by those creatures and begging your mom or
dad to make you a Max outfit so you can run wild tell them you’ll EAT
THEM UP!! You also probably remember moving out of your parent’s house
and, while going through your old things, you found that book and your
face lit up as all the memories rushed over you. And now, as an adult,
you probably read that book to your kids and watch with unutterable joy
as they play the same games and you shudder dramatically when they tell
you that they’ll EAT YOU UP!!
That nostalgia carried for
generations and will continue to do so for many more. And when we’re old
and our minds start to go backwards we can take comfort in the fact
that the childhood memories of having a wild rompus with the great Wild
Things will be waiting for us.
I want to give that to
children. I want to give them worlds to play in and characters who will
stand by their side through all their adventures. But most of all, I
want to give them laughter.
Children know how to laugh
like no one else. They laugh unabashedly at anything and everything they
find funny. As children we see the world through very clear windows.
Granted, they’re small windows but they’re unobscured. As we get older
and our view of the world gets larger, our parents, teachers and our own
experiences take over our view. We’re told that this is funny and that
is not. That it’s impolite to laugh when someone farts. But
when you’re a child, none of that matters. If you walk into a room of
businessmen and let loose a long, loud fart that sounds like a choking
moose, you will be met with uncomfortable glances and looks of disgust.
Perhaps one slightly enlightened individual will not be able to contain a
snicker or a grin. But if you walk into a classroom or a playground
filled with children and let that Fart Monster roar you will be met with
an almost endless bombardment of laughter and joy. They will go home
and tell their parents about the grown-up who farted so loudly that he
came a foot off the ground!
Children find such joy in such
simple things. Perhaps, I draw and write for children because I envy
them of that quality and, having left the joyous life of childhood
behind so long ago, I wish to recapture it as best I can by sharing in
it with them. Or perhaps there’s some switch in my brain that never
quite clicked on all the way, which leaves me regarding children in a
much higher esteem than adults in most situations. Or perhaps I just
deeply wish to be able to fart loudly in public areas and be able to
laugh hysterically afterwards without being looked down upon for my
obvious social retardation.
Either way, entertaining
children through writing and drawing is where I intend to spend the
majority of my time. I may never cure diseases or build complex
machinery but when your children or grandchildren are running through
the yard because they’re flying with witches under a full moon or are
battling an ancient race of Fart Monsters commanded by the treacherous
Queen Tootin-Often to ensure cleaner air to breathe for the whole
world…. I did that.
And I'm damn proud of it.
