From award-winning picture books to captivating games, author and illustrator Owen Davey has built a career at the crossroads of creativity and play. His bold, graphic style has been published in more than 20 languages and commissioned by clients such as The New York Times, Google, and WWF. Perhaps best known for his hugely popular non-fiction animal series with Flying Eye Books, his work has helped children around the world understand and connect with the natural world in new ways.
In this conversation, we explore the inspirations behind Owen’s work, his approach to balancing creativity with family life as a father of three, and the lessons he’s learned along the way, especially when it comes to nurturing creativity in his own kids.
Not familiar with Owen’s work? The collage below shows just how far his influence has stretched. Chances are, if you’ve ever wandered into a museum, zoo, or gallery gift shop, you’ve already come across his designs without even realising it.
Your work blends play and education. What’s been your proudest piece so far, especially in terms of its impact on children?
I think the project that speaks to kids the most is my About Animals series with Flying Eye Books. These are 40-page information books about animals, each one focusing on a specific species. For example: Smart About Sharks, Obsessive About Octopuses, Passionate About Penguins, and most recently Brainy About Bears. There are 9 in the series now, and I regularly provide talks and workshops about them at schools and festivals. Seeing the excitement that some kids get from the books is awesome. They often share their favourite facts from the books or tell me stories about the time they found a ladybird in their garden, or something along those lines. They’re super engaged.
Your animal book series has captured many imaginations. What’s been your favourite part of bringing these stories to life, and have your kids influenced your process in any way?
To be honest, I think the research has been my favourite part. Learning about the animals and figuring out what makes them awesome, not just in my eyes, but in the eyes of kids, is really exciting. I love following my own curiosity. Naturally, I now see the curiosity my kids have around learning, and it’s helped give me an insight into the way they interact with these books. For example, both of my eldest children have loved making their own information books like daddy’s and they write facts about animals and do their own drawings. They’re both readers now as well, so seeing how they engage with books on their own vs with me is fascinating too.
You’ve recently been designing Fame and Fable. What inspired this project, and how has it shaped your creative journey?
This is a passion project that started in 2020. When lockdown hit, I started up a Dungeons and Dragons group with some mates via Zoom and at one point I became the Dungeon Master. I was in charge of what and who the party would encounter and I started designing my own monsters and NPCs to give a bit of depth to it all. It was a real nostalgia trip for me as well because that’s what I started out doing: drawing monsters and warriors and wizards and things in my sketchbooks. I haven’t had much call for fantasy-inspired artwork in my professional career, so it was amazing to get back to my roots that way and just have a bit of fun with drawing. Sadly the party fell apart as people became busier again, but I was keen to keep drawing stuff from the world I’d built. I’d bought some snap cards from Ben Newman and thought ‘maybe I should turn it into a game’. I was very naive to how hard it would be, but it’s been amazing. I’ve loved the whole process and it’s given me so much inspiration. I’ve even received a few fantasy projects off the back of it.
Do your kids share your love for board games, or do they express creativity differently?
They do enjoy a board game yeah. They prefer the simple ones at the moment, but I’m working them up slowly, playing some more complicated games but omitting the more complex rules. I’m hoping to instigate family game nights in the future, but my partner isn’t much of a board gamer, so I don’t know how likely that will be. My kids in general are very creative though and enjoy painting and crafting. They’re awesome at it too (not that that’s the point). There are a few things that my daughter will draw and I just think, ‘damn, that’s way cooler than how I draw that.’
Living so close to nature, do you feel that this has helped shape your family’s approach to creativity? Can you provide any good examples?
We live by the coast, and the South Downs are really close by too. I think we’re all pretty inspired by the natural world and the go-to things to draw are usually flowers and animals (although mythical creatures are a family favourite too).
What’s one thing you hope your children take away from growing up in a creative household?
I want them to just enjoy the process of creating and not worry so much about the outcome. The process of practising creating is rewarding in itself and can be so important for mental health. I struggled with anxiety over the past few years, but through art therapy and getting back to things like playing guitar more, I’ve found some amazing creative outlets that keep me grounded. I want my kids to have that experience with creativity in whatever form that takes. Even just a dance party in the kitchen can help get some of those stresses out, and it’s awesome to see how happy it makes everyone. They have some serious moves too and you can tell they’re listening and reacting to the music. I don’t know if any of them will be creatives when they’re older or anything, but I hope they still create.
What do you believe are the most important tools or environments for nurturing your children’s creativity today?
We tend to let the kids follow their own interests, allowing them to pick when they’re going to be creative or when they’re just going to run around and make a mess of the house.
“I think a level of autonomy is important, so that it doesn’t ever feel expected of them. My parents always let me follow my own curiosities with that stuff and I’d like to do the same with my kids.”
Can you think of any places you’ve visited, books, films, products, or games that have had an impact on your kids’ lives?
Information books have definitely had an impact on my eldest kid. She loves a fact, that one. We all love learning about animals and often play games in the bathroom about guessing animals based on facts that we share etc. In terms of places, the sea is a particular favourite of my eldest daughter. She is so happy and at ease in nature. It’s pretty wonderful. My middle kid is more of a homebody, but she loves listening to stories and songs on her Yoto Player — which are awesome listening devices that are easy for kids to use. (Why not also check out our Yoto Mini review).
Finally, as a creative parent, can you share any knowledge that might be helpful to other creative professionals with kids?
For a long time, I didn’t really share my books with my kids. It felt like a band wearing their own merch or something. But a few years ago, they started taking an interest by themselves and actually, it’s really nice to see them interact with what I do. It’s been really amazing to let them in on my world and explain what I’m doing a bit more. My older two will often compliment me on an animal I’m drawing when they come into the studio, which is actually really uplifting. And I think it’s had a positive impact on them to know what I do. So my advice would be to share your projects with your kids.
