Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimarley Henry.
Hi Kimarley, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a junior at Morehouse College from Hartford, Connecticut. I have had a passion for drawing and animation since I was four years old. In the seventh grade, I drew a comic strip in the back of my science worksheet about my fictional character named, “Chad”. From that moment on, I continued to draw comics for myself centered around the character. By my junior year of high school, it became apparent that I needed to get these stories published. I reached out to the editor of my local weekly newspaper and asked to become their cartoonist. He was receptive and allowed me to start publishing my comic strips every Friday from that day on (starting on June 7, 2019). The series, inspired by my experiences at a performing arts high school, follows a teenager and his daily life as an aspiring artist. To this day, two volumes of that series and a coloring book have been published along with an animated short film currently being in the works for a late 2023 release. I also started an apparel business along with my comic series in my senior year of high school and has been going strong ever since.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been a few challenges along the way, the most prominent of which have been overcoming my “what-ifs”. Seeing as this journey was a new territory at the time, I was unsure of how things would pan out for me. However, I was also afraid of living with regrets and decided to overcome that feeling. To this day, I still think about those “what-ifs” from time to time, though I remain committed to the vision and trusting the fact that I have something of value to bring to the table, as we all do.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a cartoonist, publisher, and animator. I am most known for my two comic series, “Chad” and “Collegiate”, the former of which started being published in Connecticut newspapers in June 2019 and the latter of which began running in the Morehouse newspaper, the Maroon Tiger, in October of last year. I am most proud of my “Chad” comic series as it has already influenced children in my hometown of Hartford, Connecticut to follow their passions and be their most authentic selves, a central theme in the series. This was made very apparent in school and library visits that I attended throughout the last year in which I promoted and donated copies of my books. I think that what sets me apart from others is how much my individual experiences shaped my storytelling as an artist. Many of my stories are inspired by moments in my own life and the people that I have met. “Chad” is based on my experiences at a performing arts high school and “Collegiate” is based on my current experiences as a student at an HBCU.
What makes you happy?
Drawing makes me happy because it reminds me of a very special power that we all have: the power of creation. We just all go about it in our own unique ways. For me, drawing creates an entire world and characters that inhabit that world based on the experiences that I’ve had in my own life and the lessons that I’ve learned. That is a power that can often by underestimated and we should not take it lightly.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.marleyentertainment.com
- Instagram: @marley.entertainment
- Other: https://linktr.ee/marleyentertainment
Image Credits
First photo – Halle Jones of Sapphire Gems
