Autistic Artists: Exploring Limitations and their Impact

On my quest to meet with as many autistic artists as possible in NYC, I’ve opened myself up to speaking with writers, filmmakers, poets, musicians – and even those that have worked alongside autistic artists to create TV and media content. There are many trends that are coming through, and for me this is summed up in the following two points:

- The talent is there

- But so are the struggles

It’s all very simple. I’ve seen some incredible paintings; those of the most intricate of detail, as well as the loosest of abstract form, beautiful verses of prose and the most moving of narratives, musicians playing pure goosebump-inducing melodies, and then there’s the incredibly impactful and compelling short films and documentaries I’ve seen produced. I feel the defining factor and difference is that these are all people with a powerful drive and passion; that they’re putting their energy and soul into the projects they’re working on – and you can feel this very tangibly.

Obviously, I’m realistic though – there’s a heap of talent in New York. It’s a congregation of some of the world’s greatest arts talent in one giant city. And that’s quite scary to think about!

But the struggles are definitely evident, and everyone has their own bag of what they’re dealing with. However, it’s more the impact that these struggles then have on one’s art practise. So, for instance, I met a visual fine artist who struggles with sensory overload and consequently finds it hard to visit galleries. This then means that they can only visit them in small doses, and has to undertake more visits to be up-date-to-date with the current art scene. Another fine artist has social difficulties and struggles with multiple conversations taking place at the same time. Sadly, he can’t attend any private views and openings due to the feeling of overwhelm - and has to leave – in case he has a meltdown. This means that he misses out on meeting with and networking with artists, gallerists, curators – and other crucial connections. Another writer has a massive anxiety about using public transport and struggles to meet others within her community of writers and attend workshops around the city.

Maybelline Gonzalez and her work, Instagram: @msmaybellene 

There are many, many examples I can give you of difficulties people on the spectrum face and the consequent impact and limitations it can have on one’s career - especially in a job where you need to be doing more than simply fine-tuning your craft. You have to be communicating and getting your work out there for it to be seen and known. And that in itself is a serious undertaking of will that all artists find challenging.

David Savette’s painting ‘Scent of Comfort in the Rain’, Instagram: @talldarkpoetny

The ultimate factor that stood out for me though was the barrier to employment – virtually all artists I met with had some type of difficulty in holding down a regular job. Each of these artists had had some kind of difficulty – or simply very bad experiences, in the past. With creative jobs or otherwise. Even though they’re all tremendously talented, and employers are open to disabilities and diversity, there is this expectation of employers (regardless of whether they’re an arts centre or theatre) - that you need to be turning up each day, and performing your role, diligently. This is a real challenge and I’ve heard countless stories of artists who haven’t been able to make this work. Our condition leaves us unable to perform stably all the time. And this makes it tough if you wish to subsidise your artistic income, which you undoubtedly are likely to have to do. This may leave you dependent on others, including the State. I know of an artist currently struggling to find a roof over her head. And that’s very sad.

Larry Bissonnette – autism advocate and artist based in Vermont 

And then what? What’s next for these artists?

I mean, I am meeting people who have managed to make it work. I met one artist for example who works at a school with special needs students, namely autistic ones, and then works on his art outside of this. This is a success story. And I’m really stressing that point. He gets to do both. He’s found a job he enjoys and cares about, while still leaving him with enough time to work on his art and make a living. He even volunteers with young autistic people at the weekend in the arts!

Some autistic artists who have more complex and severe needs may gain the support of an art centre that operates as a day care centre and are helped and supported in this form. Such places are often funded through Medicare, i.e. the Government, and will provide space and support where artists can produce art, and then the organisation will have connections with galleries, corporations and other means to sell and exhibit their work. I’ve written about these spaces in my other blog ‘Art Spaces Supporting Autistic Artists in NYC’, and for those who can get on such a programme (spaces are often very limited), it can be very beneficial – simply because of the artistic links that these centres have.

Anie Knipping's incredible book about her autism and life journey: ‘Eccentricity: A Journey through a Mind’ 

But it raises the question as to what becomes of these ‘middling’ autistic artists. Those artists whose needs may not be seen as severe enough to be State supported, yet they still struggle on in their own way. And I don’t have the answer to that! I know I regularly struggle with my autism and that can limit me, yet I also feel that I’m finding ways to make it work. Little by little. Perhaps it’s a lifetime’s worth of exploration and figuring out, who knows. But the point here is to raise awareness of these artists.

So what does ultimately become of these people? Do they continue to pursue their art? Does it simply take them a lot longer to ‘get there’? Do they have to resort to job-after-job of which may or may not work out…? My personal view is that things often haven’t been easy for us (I’m not saying everyone else has had it easy), and I therefore feel we have a higher degree of resilience than the average person, and will therefore make it work out - somehow.

Please help me complete the picture, by contacting me and sharing your stories. And I guess to an extent, only time will tell of what becomes of neurodiverse artists. But let’s not wait that long ;D!