Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Davon Miller. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Davon, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally was at a time in my life where I didn’t know that my hobby could be made as an occupation. I started writing and illustrating stories at a young age and what inspired me was seeing these different stories be told with the characters I adored on television. I adored what I viewed on television so much that I desired to draw them and write stories about them.
I continued to write stories as a child, and it got to the point where my stories were becoming over one hundred pages. Someone suggested to my mother that I should look into having my writing and illustrations published into a book.
Davon, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
The products I provide are children’s picture books. I published my first book at the age of eleven in April of 2014. How I was able to get my first book published was with some encouragement from a substitute teacher when I was in elementary school. They helped me to find an editor when I was in middle school. From there, another author helped me to find CreateSpace, who published my first book.
What I want others to know is also what sets me apart from others. I started out very young, with my first book published at the age of eleven. Another aspect that sets me apart are my illustrations. My illustrations are done with crayon and colored pencil as opposed to digital art because it’s how I’ve conveyed my writing for so long. My illustrations also give kids a connection to how they might draw and color and possibly encourage them to write and illustrate stories as well.
What I’m most proud of is getting to impact my community in a variety of ways through the books I’ve written and illustrated. I was able to participate in Reading with the Rays, a reading initiative by the Tampa Bay Rays, in which I was able to do virtual read alouds of my books to further expose children to reading. Through my books I was also able to give back to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital with help from Publix and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which we donated goodie bags to the children.
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital has a special place in my heart due to the doctors and nurses taking care of me when I was in and out of the hospital when I had severe asthma as a child. With a few book signings I do, I donate part of the proceeds to benefit asthma at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being a children’s author is being able to impact children with my books. There was one time I asked a group of children if any of them liked to read. One child expressed their dislike of reading and after I finished reading my book, they found reading to be enjoyable.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The mission driving my creative journey is being able to impact children and families through stories.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://davonmiller.wixsite.com/author
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authordavonmiller/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordavonmiller
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/DavonMiller