Abbey Vasquez, character designer, digital artist, animator, writer, producer, blogger, cosplayer, and more, gets most of her unique and original creature characters, their stories and worlds, from her own very vivid and colorful dreams, she says, "Basically I dream in cartoons!" Thus, her Facebook and Twitter name "Cartoon Dreamer." Since an early age Abbey has been a creative and imaginatively-driven ideas person. She possesses a very unique gift - she dreams in cartoons, often in very vivid and colorful original cartoons, with original characters and worlds. She also seems to have an unending imagination and a talent for pulling together details into complex and comprehensive characters. She goes on to explain: "In my dreams, I not only see the new characters in their unique and detailed worlds, but most times I switch from 1st person to 3rd, and switch between each of the characters. This way I can not only see each of them clearly, but I can also see things from their personal perspectives, what they see, what they think, and everything they feel and do, as if it were happening to me. After I awaken, I draw each of the new characters as I remember them, and document what I have seen, felt and thought through them; the world they were in and any quest they may have been on. From there, I am able to develop them further, using what I've learned through my many unique interests and insatiable love of interesting and unusual facts. Finally, I fill in any missing details using my own imagination. I also design other characters, two of my main characters are Beethoven & Peter, they are the stars of one of my animated series in planning, "The 12 Year Mind." Being a kid that was always a little different, at times in my childhood they were my only friends and confidants, and accompanied me on all my adventures. Through their story, and pure and innocent friendship, I hope to share with other kids like me the lessons I've learned that have strengthened me and made me who I am today."                                 Today, Abbey works passionately on the multiple animated series ideas she has in planning. Her dream is to independently or collaboratively bring her original characters, their stories, morals and lessons learned, to life through animation. Through them, she hopes to help other unique or highly sensitive kids and adults to better understand and conquer difficult emotions and fears, find strength, self-acceptance and truly supportive friendships, and become all they were meant to be.
"Face Your Demons"
Scene From "The 12 Year Mind" Animated Series In Planning Abbey’s love for art started when she was a very young girl, only 3 years old. When her mother would ask her what she would like to do, or where she would like to go, when other California kids would have likely picked Disneyland or the beach, Abbey would choose a museum, art museums being her favorite.
Abbey has always had a love for learning as well, she loved books and started reading at a very young age, she loved school and facts - any kind of facts. In 3rd grade Abbey was identified as gifted and put into the GATE program at school, she had a fun and supportive teacher that year, and good friends, she was happy. But the next year in 4th grade things started to change. Abbey's new teacher was serious and had a dry style of teaching, she didn't encourage creativity or individuality like Abbey's other teacher. Abbey said if she could describe her new class, she would say that it was, "The color gray." In this new class, Abbey was also starting to experience severe emotional bullying* from some of her classmates. Abbey felt unsupported on the playground as well, due to the school adopting a new "positive approach" for rule breakers, and not much discipline at all. Due to Abbey's highly sensitive and gifted makeup, and the emotional affects of the bullying, soon Abbey felt so sad and afraid, she was unable to attend public school. *Because of Abbey's experience we now passionately support: PACERS - Bullying Prevention, KIDPOWER - Bullyproof Training, & SENG - Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted. After starting to be homeschooled, Abbey found she had a lot more time on her hands, as well as a lot of difficult emotions inside left over from her bullying experience and the emotional breakdown that followed. It was then that Abbey started to draw, and was inspired to create unique creature characters. Through her new found love for creating art and characters, Abbey was able to work through a great deal of the emotional pain she felt inside. Creating unique and powerful creatures with positive personality traits and loyal friendships, gave her peace. Soon she started writing stories for her characters, and later taught herself how to animate. Through art, the support of her parents and a wonderful gifted therapist, and finding true friendships through the gifted children support group she and her family started, Abbey is now doing awesome! Abbey's dream is to work in the animation industry and to share through her characters and their stories what she has learned through her own experiences. She aspires to help other kids and adults like her who have been bullied, are gifted, highly sensitive, highly creative, or just have a hard time fitting in, by sharing her characters, their stories, morals and lessons learned, and bringing it all to life through animation. She has many stories and animated series in planning, but it is through her main series idea "The 12 Year Mind" that she hopes to address in a comprehensive, yet thoughtful and entertaining way, the problems that kids and highly sensitive and highly creative people face today. Including; family dysfunction, abuse, abandonment, emotional and physical bullying, manipulation, death of a loved one, mental illness, and more. Her message in part is, "Don’t believe what the bullies say about you, always surround yourself with those who uplift you, don’t be afraid to be who you really are and to do the things that are interesting and important to you. Don't ever forget that you are perfect just the way you are - being different means you are one of the amazingly-unique, you posses powers beyond your belief, and you are never alone!" If you would like to hear more of Abbey's story, see some of her current art and animations, check out what fandoms she follows and a lot of other positive stuff, see the links below. © Express written permission required to use artist's work in any way. Would you like to help Abbey reach her art and animation goals and dreams? Help Abbey get her characters and their very important stories out to help other kids dealing with negative emotions, bullying and other difficult issues. You can make a donation to Abbey's art education and career goals by using the Make A Donation button below. Thank you so much for your support!
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