Brent
“I’m not what they have in mind.”
Brent.
Meet Brent, a legally blind cartoonist and teacher who challenges perceptions of disability and connects with people through his art. With limited public transport in his hometown of Oamaru, our team assists Brent in getting to his work and doing everyday tasks, like shopping for supplies.
For disabled people who live in remote parts of New Zealand, we are often the only service provider for their area. Lack of access to transport doesn’t have to mean limited options. Our team has worked with Brent to create supports that enable him to continue the work he loves.
Brent is an artist and an educator who works as a cartoonist. He runs classes out of a small studio called Blue Butterfly Art Studio and Learning Space in the heart of the historic Victorian precinct in Oamaru. He has been teaching for over 30 years.
Brent has had a relationship with CCS Disability Action since the 1980s. When he was around 11-12, his sight began to significantly deteriorate. He was supported by the South Canterbury branch at the time and has happy memories of getaways at the CCS Disability Action-owned holiday home in Tekapo with his family.
With mainstream school a struggle, except for English which he loved, he eventually attended school for the blind in Auckland. As Brent got older and his vision worsened, he gravitated to drawing. “It was all I could see to do,” he says. He found the thick black lines of cartoons something that he could not only master but teach others to enjoy.
“I attended art school in Wellington and then I began teaching adults, then teaching kids. The thing I enjoy most about teaching is that no two students are the same. I’m always excited to see what people do 10, 20, 30 years down the track after I’ve taught them,” he says.
Brent and his class show off their art.
He also appreciates kids’ honesty and natural creativity. “I love teaching young people. They’ll tell you if they think you’re rubbish,” he jokes. “You have to be yourself with kids and be genuine, or they can see right through you.”
Brent’s classes, online tutorial videos, and his online book about drawing are hugely popular. He’s often approached by people he taught in their younger years and experiences a few ‘full circle moments’ when they bring their own kids to see him.
“It’s a privilege and a responsibility to teach. People seem to respond to me and remember me. Plus, it’s fun,” he says.
Perhaps ironically for someone working in such a performative profession, Brent describes himself as an introvert. “Cartooning is a kind of international language,” he explains. “I often draw in public – and have always done that on my travels, like in an airport lounge for example. It’s interesting how people are drawn to someone who is creating. I find it can help start a conversation with someone new when I am naturally quite shy. It’s a great way to meet people.”
Brent is interested in teaching more than art. In a culture where sport remains king, he’s keen to provide a beacon for those ‘quiet kids’ who might prefer to have their nose in a book or spend their time on solitary activities. “It’s important to give those kids a creative outlet and a voice, I think. I often get calls from parents worried because their children spend so much time drawing alone, for example. I live a pretty good life that’s full of people, so I can reassure them that just because their child might be shy, they won’t necessarily be lonely,” he says.
As a disabled person, he also sees his role as challenging people’s perceptions of disability – shifting unconscious bias through his work and his presence in the community. “I think people have perceptions of what a legally blind person will look like, and I suspect I’m not what they have in mind. The fact I make a living out of being an artist is surprising to a lot of people. As an educator, it’s not just cartooning that I’m teaching,” he says.
Brent and Christine.
He would like to see the barriers that disabled people face reduced in our society. “Living as a disabled person in an environment that isn’t designed for us is challenging every day. I would like to see more compassion and empathy for disabled people as I think that’s when things will start to change,” he says.
CCS Disability Action’s Waitaki branch works with Brent to help remove some of the barriers he faces. His community coordinator Christine Gilbert has known Brent for a few years now and, as his needs have changed along with his sight, she’s been there to put things in place to assist him. This has included equipment for his home and organising a small team of support workers, so he can keep doing the things he loves.
“Their support is invaluable. It makes such a difference,” says Brent.
With no public transport in the town, his support workers take him to work, accompany him to buy supplies or assist with everyday jobs. “They’re there for those little behind-the-scenes things that other people would take for granted,” he says.
As a self-employed person, he also values the company they provide. “We have a good relationship – they’re more than just ‘support’ to me,” he says.
Christine describes Brent as a kind, generous person who is community minded. “It’s so incredible to play a role in supporting Brent to continue what he’s so passionate about and has such talent for,” she says.
Brent, for his part, is keen to continue. “I’d like to keep going as long as I can and as long as people keep wanting to come along.”
I hope you enjoyed Brent’s story. You can purchase a copy of Brent’s book or find out more about his art at www.bluebutterflyart.bigcartel.com.