Courtesy Warn Wilson Jr.
Warn Wilson Jr.
Warn Wilson Jr. is an electrical engineer — but not just an electrical engineer. The Jackson, Mississippi, native is also an author and illustrator of two picture books, Brown Money and Royal Counsel. Wilson is a graduate of Mississippi State University, where he obtained a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering.
Wilson is also an entrepreneur, with two card games, Nah Bruh and the Brown Money companion card game, to his name. The engineer/entrepreneur/author put all his skills to work making Brown Money, an inspirational picture book that aims to teach children about responsibility, possibilities, and the many avenues one can take on the journey to independence and self-sufficiency. I spoke with Wilson about his book and why he wrote it.
Brown Money follows a conversation between a young Black boy and his father. He learns about the path to college and how to get a degree. “With a degree, you can increase your chances of getting a good job,” the father explains. There are other paths to success, though, like trade school, investing, being a professional athlete or entertainer. The father talks about different trades — carpentry, engineering, barbering — and gives examples of investment
“My English teachers said I wrote great papers, but in my mind it just didn’t seem fun,” Wilson explains. “But as time went on I began to enjoy writing because it became a great way to express inner thoughts and feelings. I also now enjoy being able to transfer my knowledge and experience to others through books.
“Even in my current line of work, I do a lot of technical writing, which requires me to break complex information down into an easy-to-understand format. In turn, my approach to teaching things in the simplest way possible helps others to learn faster. When I see others understand better due to my easy to understand format, it is a really rewarding feeling.”
Brown Money
Wilson painted each individual image on canvas. He first wrote the dialogue, so he could design each page to complement the message from the father. (Incidentally, this is often how scripting works in comic books.) “The paintings took me approximately two weeks to complete,” Wilson says. “Painting is another passion of mine that I enjoy in my free time.”
And making passions pay is one of — but not the only — motif of Brown Money. The young protagonist learns that there are many routes to a rewarding career. It’s important to find one that works for you; it’s equally important, the book explains, to have a Plan B. “What made me want to write Brown Money was the lack of certain information or inspiration I had as a youth,” Wilson explains. “I wanted to create a book that introduces you to a lot of the things that I didn’t learn as a youth as far as investing and having multiple streams of income. I also wanted to make STEM look cool and hopefully inspire kids to head toward that direction.”
Wilson continues: “I want kids to know that success does not have one path and that you can take routes to get to a meaningful life. So even though I love the idea of college, I want to show that there is also success in taking up trades or investing as a way to make a living. Regardless, I just want kids to keep an open mind and be willing to work hard for whatever life they want to have. Just knowing they have options may help a kid have patience in finding their ultimate passion.”