Neurodiversity, dyslexia, disability and my creativity.

Yes I am Neuro-diverse as I am dyslexic and I also have physical disabilities. What does this mean for me as an artist?

I will look at things differently to how neurotypical people may do. What does this actually mean I can only relate to myself. My brain is full of ideas and never seems to stop, but I'm able to cope with that. I see ideas appearing in my mind and my creative ability allows me to produce artwork.

An example is the below painting, which just would not let me not paint it. I find that if an idea grabs me like this, this is when I am my most creative and inventive. I had a driving thought to create a large impactful painting that older people, some who have dementia, could relate to. The result is what you see below.

My artwork has been described as a modern take on arts and crafts mixed with floral Pop art and some impressionism, I don't often paint flowers with a natural background. I like my artwork to make an impact with the colours I use. This is how I see things, flowers are there in nature for their impact, so that is how they should be seen.

As a individual I am drawn to modern art and love to visit Tate modern to see other artists work. I particularly like abstract art as the artist is using feelings to create, and this takes a special type of ability. I can relate to the beauty of this and colour is often a driving force when these paintings are created. Although not abstract art, I like that my paintings challenge floral artwork norms in how I present them.

I have osteoarthritis with means I have mobility issues and I am unable to stand for long periods. I always paint sitting and never use an easel, finding it easier to paint using a table. The image below shows me painting downwards onto a canvass which is on a table.

Having a disability means working with what you have. I am lucky that my husband supports me and will help with carrying of boxes of paintings etc when I do exhibitions or markets, I have tried to find something on wheels to help but they can also be heavy to put into a car and get out. If I am on my own I have to limit the amount of artwork I can take.

Lastly lets talk about been dyslexic, a subject I could talk about for hours on. The impact for me is clearly on things like my website and the blogs I create. I use proof reading software to help me, but if you do see an error, please just let me know as I have word blindness and I will not have seen it.

Ruth Breen