Coming out of the closet ...

No, I’m not telling you I’m queer - you all know that :D

I’ve just been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

I’ve known that I was autistic for a long time, but felt I had to get a formal diagnosis because … well, I’m autistic and feel that I need formal confirmation before telling anyone ;) - but also, my niece has been diagnosed, and I want to show her that autism is a SUPERPOWER, and it can really help with following your dreams.

Everyone who knows me IRL is probably not surprised, but I’m only posting this here because I’m sick of seeing people talking about ASD as if it’s a bad thing, or an excuse for not doing things.

If I wasn’t autistic, I wouldn’t have been so stubborn and determined to be an artist, even after so many years of ‘failing’, and everyone around me telling me I couldn’t do it. Sure, I wouldn’t have had so much childhood trauma in the first place - but I would have been a pretty shitty artist if I’d had a smooth ride through life.

So yeah, definitely my superpower :D

By the way, I’m not downplaying the fact that being neurodivergent is hard … it is, I’ve spent my whole life being different (which wasn’t actually my choice), being bullied for being the ‘weird kid’, having no friends, being a disappointing loser to my parents, finding it hard to get jobs, to fit in with workplaces, etc etc. But I will also say I have worked HARD to figure out my brain, to not care what people think. It’s just these days, at nearly 50, it genuinely feels like I have an advantage - I have had a really rough early life, and am now rewarded with a bloody amazing one!

I will be talking more about this in future posts … but this is enough for today.