Brent Vernon - Author, Illustrator, Singer, Songwriter and Ventriloquist - Part I

Guest Post by BRENT VERNON author, illustrator, singer, songwriter and ventriloquist based in South Florida.

 High Hopes - part I

When I was a kid, I loved to doodle. Specifically, I loved creating characters… talking animals, silly looking people, animated vegatation, and – long before VeggieTales – I even had an idea for talking fruit, vegetables, and kitchenware. Tabletop adventures.

When I was probably seven, I wrote the Cabbage Patch company telling them that the “Kids” (which were crazy popular at the time) should have pets. My letter was never acknowledged, but – within the next few years, the “Kids” had pets for sale.

In high school, I started to write music. I suppose I became enamored with the idea that I could write, record, and perform music as a vocation, so – after spending some time in prayer (but not too much) – that’s what I did. Like so many things in life, my motivations were definitely mixed. I was passionate about sharing my faith through song, but I also did like the attention.

Most of us who think of ourselves as “creative” tend to crave affirmation. We want our lives and work to be appreciated. I will always be susceptible to the pang of those “needs”, but as I have deepened in Christ and developed a true Kingdom mindset, I find myself returning to the raw joy of creating things as I did when I was a kid. Back when my dreams weren’t dependent on how I personally was perceived. It was just fun.

In the early 2000′s, those childhood dreams started tugging at me again. So for about two-and-a-half years, I cut my touring schedule in half and started developing an animated series called “The Finest of Fables” along with a former VeggieTales producer Jen Combs McFadden, a couple former Disney animators, and several others who knew much more about the process than I did.

Spooner's concept of the imperial palace from The Finest of Fables' "Beetle and the Golden Shoes"

The project, as planned, was enormously expensive. After months of working and worrying, I decided to shelve the project and refocus on the music/touring. It was a huge disappointment at the time, 

but also a major learning experience.

On December 16, a much smaller version of my dream will come true with the release of my first children’s book, “Neckless: The Audrey Amaka Story”.  In my next blog, I will share the genesis of that story and introduce you to Audrey.  I’ll also show you how I did the illustrations.  Why?Because it’s fun… and keep getting questions about the art.  I guess that’s good.

As a storyteller and illustrator, I have so far to go.  But “Neckless” is definitely a happy start.  I hope you think so too!

cont. High Hopes - part II - Tomorrow.