Zoom Autism Magazine Issue 3 Spring 2015 | Page 43

I can focus on detail. Maybe
that's why sometimes, when
I can't express emotions and
explain them very well, I turn to
my art. Maybe. Nay, probably!
Having only being recently diagnosed as being on the autistic
spectrum, I realized that all the
questions I had about myself
could finally be answered. I was
different, yes. But I was still me.
I wasn't born "wrong" or "defective." My wiring just happened
to be different. Knowing this
gave me peace, a sense of clarity. I understood why I loved to
draw certain things in particular
(dragons, in case you were wondering!) and why I loved detail,
proportion and symmetry, all of
which I always incorporate into
my art.
It was through my art that I
had the great pleasure of meeting Jennifer O'Toole, purely by
chance! Or perhaps it was even
fate. I'd like to think that it was
more the latter. Fate and destiny aside, a friendship grew,
and before I knew it, she had
become somewhat of a mentor
to me. Not only has she shed
more light onto my Asperger’s,
but also, she has been a great
influence in my art. It was she
that gave me my first proper
illustration job. It was she who
showed me that I can actually
do things with my art and that
I, a little girl from England,
could make a difference with
it. And, perhaps most importantly, I found a kindred spirit
within her. I knew that I wasn't
alone. I didn't know any other
females with autism, and statics can only TELL you that you
are not alone. I needed a person
Zoom Autism Through Many Lenses

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