Today at Jordan Lake School of the Arts, D. J. Svoboda talked to our students. D. J., age 27, is an adult artist living with autism. As a child he was picked on and bullied by classmates, so he created a happier place to be called Imagiville. Imagiville is filled with wondrous creatures, colorful and friendly, always encouraging and never mean. The weather is always great and the fruit is always sweet. D. J. began drawing the inhabitants of Imagiville, practicing until he could draw them just as he imagined them. Imagifriends are intricate and totally engaging. As D. J. says, "They come in many sizes, colors, and designs. None of them are ever mean or cruel. They each have their own special job and purpose in Imagiville. Every Imagifriend knows that as long as they have a kind heart, it does not matter what they look like."
D. J. wasn't content to just doodle away for his own entertainment. He had a larger purpose and a dream. He wanted to market his creations and to spread the word that it's okay to be different and that we all have things to do. And so he set out to do just that. He now sells reproductions of his creatures, along with a story book, a coloring book, mouse pads, tote bags, mugs and cards. He has an Iphone app and contracts with PBS's Arthur, Sesame Street, and Southwest Airlines.
As the kids listened today, I could tell they were absolutely enthralled. I don't blame them; I was as well. Many of the kids at JLSA have had the hope educated out of them, and here was a young man who had been through similar ordeals and had turned his pain into an asset. I don't think we've seen the last of this guy. I'm glad I can say I knew him before he hit the big time!
