RESEARCH

NEURODIVERGENT ART
LIVING WITH AUTISM/ADHD/OCD
The term neuro-divergence is a large umbrella term that includes many different disabilities including Tourette's, OCD, autism,
dyspraxia, ADHD, synaesthesia and many more. I will be focusing this project on Autism, ADHD and OCD as these are the disorders, I
suspect that I struggle with. I am yet to be officially diagnosed but these are the disorders that my I most closely relate to. I will be
diagnosed in the middle of January which will add an interesting twist to the project. Autism specifically is a spectrum disorder. This
mean that everyone who falls under the diagnosis presents differently and struggles more with some things than others as all the
symptoms are on a spectrum. It does not mean that some people are 'more' autistic than others. Every person's experience with it is
different, because of this I will be getting insight from others who experience autism and ADHD to gain further perspectives. For me,
being neurodivergent leaves me feeling embarrassed at times, behind and like I need to constantly compensate to keep up with
people/ expectations from this world. My memory is horrific giving people the impression that I don’t care, when really when I care
about something it can be all consuming, but this means I can't care a huge amount about multiple things at once. I tend to be hyper
fixated on a person or a thing for a while and rotate around all the people I care about. My struggles with object permanence
however mean that when someone isn't my total focus I tend to forget that they exist until their existence is shoved under my nose
again. I also struggle a lot with compulsions and obsessions in a way that sometimes controls and rules parts of my life. I get
overwhelmed very easily if there are too many steps involved in a task or if to many things are being expected of me all at once. As
well as this, if a task doesn’t provide enough dopamine it will extract all my energy to do and I wont be able to take on anything more
complex than one simple step or things that don’t provide dopamine until I have recovered. This low dopamine task that causes this
can be as simple as cleaning or compiling a collection of photos for research. This could then incapacitate me for the rest of the day.
There are also however great parts to this too. A heightened sense of childish wonder and curiosity, autistic joy, the comfort in a
special interest, a really great stim, connecting with other neuro divergent people and being able to unmask and connect in a way
which you don’t experience with most people and the black and white way in which we experience the world gives us a unique
perspective.
 OVERSTIMULATION
Overstimulation is a common thing that neurodivergent people experience. Because we are more susceptible to
becoming overwhelmed from sensory input. I often find myself most overstimulated when there are too many
overlapping voices or noises, when it is to bright, when my clothes are touching me wrong or if I'm wearing to much
Jewlery. Overstimulation leaves me irritable, anxious and can in long exposure lead to burnout. Here is a brief
explanation as to the reason behind sensory overload "when there’s competing sensory information, your brain
can’t interpret it all at the same time. For some people, this feels like getting “stuck”; your brain can’t prioritize what
sensory information it needs to focus on. Your brain then sends your body the message that you need to get away
from some of the sensory input you’re experiencing. Your brain feels trapped by all the input it’s getting, and your
body starts to panic in a chain reaction." (Watson, K. (2018)) A further biological look into the cause of auditory
sensory overload created this finding "the neurophysiologic study of auditory processing in autism does suggest
atypical neural activity as early in the processing stream as the primary auditory cortex." (MARCO, E.J. et al (2011).
UNDER STIMULATION
This like overstimulation can cause distress in neurodivergent people, personally this tends to feel like my
life essence is being sucked from me leaving me horribly anxious and with only intrusive harmful thought
processes to navigate with. Under stimulation "refers to those times when your brain isn't receiving
enough sensory input to keep you engaged with your surroundings." (www.getinflow.io.) People with
ADHD live in dopamine lack as their brains do not produce the same level of dopamine naturally that
neurotypical people do. This causes under stimulation to occur in situations in which neurotypical people
feel comfortable in. This is also why ADHD is medicated with stimulants even though this may seem
counterproductive, it actually levels out the persons dopamine levels. This is where stimming comes in
useful for both ADHD and Autistic people. Stimming is "self-stimulating behaviour" (www.autism.org.uk.).
It can include repetitive movements, sounds or thoughts to help regulate emotions or reactions to
surroundings. It is used during understimulation to stimulate the body back to normal dopamine levels
and during overstimulation it helps to regulate the processing of the sensory input. Everyone stims,
however neurodivergent people tend to do it more.
 OBSESSION
Obsession affects me in a very negative way and when it has a grip on me, I don’t feel like I can even move in case I do
something wrong. My obsessions often come in the terms of telling me I have to do something a certain way oe
something horrible will result. These can be things that sound trivial like I must be hyper fixated on ashnikko but when
you feel you HAVE to you feel so pushed into a little box, incredibly anxious but also hatred towards yourself because
you know logically that it makes no sense, but you are still involuntarily gripping onto it and it controls you. This can
also lead into rumination compulsions which only make the situation worse as you think yourself in knots. It is hard to
describe how something so trivial can be so debilitating, but it really is, and I hope to be able to use this project to
express this. The obsessions and compulsions can also be around darker things for example, death, situations of a
sexual nature and religious compulsions. These are particularly distressing to experience. Everyone has intrusive
thoughts, but some people fight or flight response is more easily activated and heightened by them. For example,
writing this I am feeling a compulsion to ensure this explanation is perfectly described and researched and that
nothing can give even slightly the wrong impression, which is giving me trouble when trying to give an honest insight.
 BURN OUT
Burn out is a tricky one. When I am experiencing burnout, I am completely incapacitated. I am not safe to drive because I
cannot physically concentrate enough to make it safe. When I push myself to hard sometimes I have to give in and give
my brain a complete rest for multiple days. Burnout causes my obsessions to become worse; my mood is low, and I can
tolerate even less sensory input that normal. This also means I have less dopamine reserves for tasks that don’t provide
instant gratification which causes me to fall behind in life until I am recovered. Often engaging in special interests and
completely disassociating from my rushing brain is what it takes to recover.
 HYPER FIXATION/SPECIAL INTEREST
Both Autism and ADHD can manifest as hyper fixations however special interests tend to be solely autistic people. Hyper
fixations are an intense interest in a topic that takes over the person's life and it becomes their main focus and passion
for a short period of time. Food hyper fixations are also common also known as 'same foods' in the autistic community
which are sensory friendly foods that bring dopamine which someone eats obsessively multiple times a day/week for a
period. "Many autistic people have a highly focused level of interest in particular topics" (Ambitious about
Autism) known as special interests. Often this will define someone's life and become their favourite thing to talk about
and spend time doing. For example, my special interest is Billie Eilish and has been for about 5 years. I could tell you
essentially anything about her and spend lots of time most days engaging in her music or online content. She provides
me with much comfort when I need it and going to her shows have been some of the most pivotal moments of my life. A
special interest really is one of the largest parts of an autistic person's life. Many autistic people turn their special
interests into careers.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ambitious about Autism. (n.d.). Special interests. [online] Available at: https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/information-
about-autism/behaviour/special-interests.

www.autism.org.uk. (n.d.). Stimming. [online] Available at: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-

guidance/topics/behaviour/stimming.

www.getinflow.io. (n.d.). ADHD can cause overstimulation and understimulation - here’s why. [online] Available at:
https://www.getinflow.io/post/sensory-processing#:~:text=Understimulation%20refers%20to%20those%20times [Accessed 16
Dec. 2022].

MARCO, E.J., HINKLEY, L.B.N., HILL, S.S. and NAGARAJAN, S.S. (2011). Sensory Processing in Autism: A Review of
Neurophysiologic Findings. Pediatric Research, [online] 69(5 Part 2), pp.48R54R. doi:10.1203/pdr.0b013e3182130c54.

Watson, K. (2018). What Is Sensory Overload? [online] Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/sensory-
overload#causes.
 HOW IT HAS HELPED MY PROJECT
This research has influenced my project since I now have a deeper understanding as to the reasons behind different
aspects of neurodivergence and why our brains work differently. This will allow me to represent it more accurately
through my art.
JOE JAMES
@JOE_THE_AUTISTIC_PHOTOGRAPHER

Joe is a wildlife photographer who is very open about his

autisms involvement in his art. Photography is a special
interest for him, so he is strongly focused on his art, and it
provides much comfort for him. This is reflected in the care
he takes in his work and the tranquillity of his photos
which represent the peace it gives him. "He describes the
experience of shooting and editing his photos as “like
putting on noise cancelling headphones, all the people
around me just don’t exist anymore” and has a process he
follows for each shot." (UK, C.) He also uses the following
he created though facebook to give him the ability to go
into schools and help autistic children to learn about and
accept themselves.
 ALFIE WHITE
"Alfie White is a photographer born, raised, and based in South London. Alfie's work explores the nuances and intricacies of the
human condition and of everyday life, with a focus on moments of emotion and human intimacy which he finds
meaningful." He also speaks on what it is like to live with autism some of his thoughts are "The Autistic experience is a process
of constantly hiding your true self (what is known as ‘masking’) in fear of revealing who you are or, better yet, asking for
accommodation in that." He speaks on being autistic in the workplace "In work environments, it feels like you are on the run,
and there is a searchlight after you. You dart from one dark corner to the next, avoiding situations which might put you in p lain
sight" And also speaks on the passion that being autistic gives him in his life which reflects onto his art. "It’s being so p assionate
about one thing and never losing that passion. It’s being that passion, as quite frankly, it’s easier than being human." (White,
A)Quite a common part of the creative autistic experience is the passion that being autistic gives you and the strong drive and
focus you have on your creative pursuit. This allows for unique perspectives and creations to come from autistic people makin g
the variety in the art world richer.
 MANDY WILLIAMS

Mandy is a late diagnosed autistic photographer who speaks about how her diagnosis affects her focus and drive in her
creative work. She speaks about how she grew up with her father who is a landscape photographer and quickly became
obsessed with learning the skill. It gave her relief from the anxiety and distress caused by the undiagnosed autism. At
first, she mainly focused on animal photography in Scotland before she moved on to experiment with Astro and long
exposure photography. She says "“The relief my diagnoses brought me is life changing and led me to throw myself more
than ever into one of my big passions – wildlife photography." (The Art of Autism)
 ROLAND BÜHLMANN

Roland Bühlmann is another autistic photographer and one of his interests in photography is pinhole photography. "A
pinhole camera is a camera without a lens but with an aperture (or pinhole). Pinhole lenses or even camera obscura is an
optical phenomenon well known hundreds of years BC." He also speaks on his use of this technique "Since the early 80’s I
take pictures with pinhole cameras. The first abstract photos were taken in 1992 as I made apertures with several holes
with them. I photographed different light sources (lamps, liquids in glasses, reflections on different materials, through gla ss
balls). I had discovered a technique that enabled me to take abstract photographs." (The Art of Autism) I find this
technique intriguing because of the patterns it creates. I feel like the distortions and patterns created I think it could be
used to represent more abstract parts of neurodivergence.
 PHOTOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Alfie White Photography. (2021). about - Alfie White Photography. [online] Available at: https://www.alfie-white.com/about
[Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].
• Alfie White Photography. (2022). selected work - Alfie White Photography. [online] Available at: https://www.alfie-
white.com/#1 [Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].
• The Art of Autism. (n.d.). Pinhole Photography with an Autistic Perception. [online] Available at: https://the-art-of-
autism.com/pinhole-photography-with-an-autistic-perception/.
• The Art of Autism. (n.d.). Recently Diagnosed Scottish Animal Photographer Explains How Autism Gives Her Focus and Drive.
[online] Available at: https://the-art-of-autism.com/recently-diagnosed-scottish-animal-photographer-explains-how-autism-
gives-her-focus-and-drive/.
• Instagram.com. (2020). Joe James (@joe_the_autistic_photographer) • Instagram photos and videos. [online] Available at:
https://www.instagram.com/joe_the_autistic_photographer/?next=%2Fjoe_the_autistic_photographer%2F&hl=en [Accessed
16 Dec. 2022].
• kinor.net. (n.d.). Roland Bühlmann - Music And Pinhole Photography. [online] Available at: https://kinor.net/pinhole.html
[Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].
• UK, C. (n.d.). My name is Joe James, I’m autistic and proud. [online] Canon UK. Available at:
https://www.canon.co.uk/view/my-name-is-joe-james/ [Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].
• White, A. (n.d.). Photographer Alfie White: ‘Being Autistic is not a quirk’. [online] i-d.vice.com. Available at: https://i-
d.vice.com/en/article/pkbdy7/photographer-alfie-white-being-autistic-is-not-a-quirk [Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].
PRIMARY RESEARCH (NATIONAL GALLERY + TATE)
 TATE AND NATIONAL GALLERY

Going to these galleries at the very beginning of this project gave me a great boost in inspiration. It helped shape my
brief as I gained inspiration for different parts of neurodivergence and how they could be translated into art. For
example, one of the blurry paintings of people caused me to start contemplating ways overstimulation could be
shown. I also loved all the nature-based photography I saw, and all the activism created with art. I was also inspired
by the creepy and fantasy/religious elements in the renaissance paintings.
PRIMARY RESEARCH (READING MUSEUM)
 READING MUSEUM
At the beginning of January me and Freddie went to Reading museum to collect more primary research for our projects. I
found this visit very useful as many of the patterns and objects we saw were inspiring for future work I could create. For
example, the spookiness of some of the statues carved inspired me to think about playing with shadows in future shoots.
The colours used in the tiles inspired me to experiment with colour and pattern possibly if there was a shoot I wanted to
liven up. As well as this the monotone body statues inspired me to experiment in black and white to convey emotion and
form. As well as this, visiting the abbey ruins inspired me to connect my ideas more to nature and to possibly at some
point in the future use ruins or old buildings to add atmosphere to my shoots.
 PRIMARY RESEARCH (INTERVIEW WITH JESS
CHANDLER)
Jess Chandler is a disability activist who uses the platforms TikTok and Instagram to advocate for disabled people and educates her followers on disabled
issues and what it's like living with disabilities. Jess has been diagnosed with Autism, ADHD and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Here I have interviewed her about
her experience living with her neurodivergences.

What are your first thoughts when someone asks what its like living with autism and adhd?
• My first thoughts, honestly, is that it's a constant battle. Living with two diagnosis that constantly fights against each other is difficult.

What is it like to experience over simulation, what does it feel like to experience for you?
• I always thought I experience overstimulation differently to others as often my sensory needs don’t get worse but rather I just get really upset/angry
without knowing why, which always adds to confusing me and making me worse.

And on the opposite end of that how does under stimulation differ to overstimulation for you?
• Under stimulation often affects me by making me really ancy and fidgety. Like, I'm desperate to do something but because I'm so wrapped up in not
feeling "100%" I never know what to do and how to get out of it. It's very similar emotions now that I think about it.

Do you ever find your diagnosis manifest in unhealthy obsession or compulsion and if so how does it affect your life and how does it feel to experience it?
• So, I guess this one is a difficult one because there's only one time I can really think about. From 15-17 years old I got into an extremely bad group of
friends which led to a lot of problems with drugs and alcohol (I'm only learning now how to enjoy a drink and not get overwhelmed by it all), I really like
science so when it came to the drugs I ended up unknowingly hyper fixating and obsessing on them which just made everything worse! It felt like
everything around me was a black screen and all I could see was what I was interested in but because it made me so low with my mood I just ended up
feeling impossibly depressed, not knowing how to actually get out of it.
Common causes of burn out and how it affects you?
• My common causes of burn out are often: lack of sleep, to much social stimulation, overwhelming emotions, and not
having a balance with my life. Burnout often makes me feel kinda ill (nausea, stomach cramps, headaches, muscle
aches from being so tense) and then causes me to be quite irritable and upset.

How does the joy of special interests or hyper fixations manifest for you?
• So a lot of the times they just completely creep up on me and I'm none the wiser! But my main special interest is in
animals and medicine which works super well considering I was studying vetinary med! (I've deferred for a while) it's
also spiritual stuff as well! I love learning about the side of the world that others wouldn’t even consider, it feels like a
comfort zone for me all in itself. Having special interests and hyperfixations feels like an overwhelming feeling of
happiness that just feels like its going to explode out of me! It's such an intense feeling but I love it so so much! (Until
I'm so far into a hyperfixation with a book/movie that I end up absolutely heartbroken that I cant be a part of their
world)

Are there any negatives to these things?

• Oh for sure! Hyperfixations can lead to a lot of negative feelings, mainly surrounding missing out on other things,
executive dysfunction just gets worse, pushing people away and isolating yourself. The benefits outweigh the
negatives for sure but the negatives are and always will still be there.

Just any things you enjoy about being neurodivergent?

• So many things! I'm a really quick thinker, I can learn and pick things up extremely quickly, when I love something I go
head over heels for it, despite struggling with emotions sand body language I'm semi decent at helping people with
problems and giving advice, I get to help other people! So many things.
 KEY WORDS TO ACT AS A SPRINGBOARD

Overstimulation – anger, irritability, buzzing

Understimulation - ancy, fidgety, on edge, intrusive thoughts

Obsession – depression, anxious grip, frustration, anger, trapped

Burnout – ill, hopeless, mountain out of a molehill, incapable, executive dysfunction, frustration

Hyperfixation – Bursting happiness intense focus, missing things, safety, excitement, rushing thirst

Special interest – bursting happiness, comfort place, expression, home, warm glow

Social cues – confusion, embarrassment, shame

 FOCUS ON FILM PHOTOGRAPHY
After shooting and developing my first roll of film I fell in love with the process of darkroom photography and have
decided to move my focus onto exploring the possibilities of shooting on film and then possibly extending this to my
final product. I have compiled a list of photographers who shoot on film who inspire me.

• Celina Bailey
• Iosune de Goni
• Birdee (Jamie Johnson)
• Chantal Convertini
• Anna Lekespalu
• Alexandra January
• Roxanna Angles
• Alyssa Chiarello
• Denise Grays
• Gabi Roozee
• Kelly-Ann Bobb
HISTORY OF FILM PHOTOGRAPHY
ARTSY. AVAILABLE AT: HTTPS://WWW.ARTSY.NET/ARTICLE/ARTSY-EDITORIAL-9-ANALOGUE-PHOTOGRAPHY-TECHNIQUES-YOU-NEED-TO-KNOW.
CORRAL, A. (2016). 9 ANALOG PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES YOU NEED TO KNOW. [ONLINE]

Heliography
In the early 1800s, French inventor Nicéphore Niépce experimented with chemically treated metal plates, which he
placed on the back of the camera obscura’s box-projected surface, ultimately recording the oldest permanent
image: View from the window at Le Gras (1826-1827). The rarity and cost of the chemicals—and the incredibly long
exposure time required—rendered Niépce’s photography technique impractical. The Royal Society, a scientific academy
that supports technological innovation, rejected Niépce’s pewter plate on the grounds that they refused to publicize
discoveries that involved undisclosed secrets (and Niépce kept his methods under wraps).

Daguerreotype
Niépce’s sudden death in 1833 prompted Louis Jacques-Mandé Daguerre to continue their collaborative experiments on
his own and, by 1839, the French Académie des Sciences announced the daguerreotype as the first photographic
technique freely available to the public. Reducing exposure time from days to minutes, and then finally down to seconds,
Daguerre’s analogue technique was employed to produce millions of photographs in just one year alone.

Calotype
The first photographic process to produce multiple images from paper negatives was patented by Henry Fox Talbot in
1841. Iterating on processes he developed in the early 1830s, Talbot concocted a photography technique he coined the
“calotype” (meaning “beautiful” from the Greek kalos), in which photosensitive paper is exposed to light for about an
hour inside of a camera. These produced the earliest examples of translucent negative contact sheets, which are still used
today as film negatives. Appearing in varying tones of brown and silver, the calotype image is characterized by a softness
achieved through iodide. Despite the exposure time lasting only a few seconds, the calotype lacked sharpness in print
quality.
HISTORY OF FILM PHOTOGRAPHY
ARTSY. AVAILABLE AT: HTTPS://WWW.ARTSY.NET/ARTICLE/ARTSY-EDITORIAL-9-ANALOGUE-PHOTOGRAPHY-TECHNIQUES-YOU-NEED-TO-KNOW.
CORRAL, A. (2016). 9 ANALOG PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES YOU NEED TO KNOW. [ONLINE]

Wet Collodion Process

This process of coating, sensitizing, exposing, and developing within 15 minutes is respected for its intricacy and revered
for the tremendous detail and clarity it achieves in the image. Introduced in the early 1850s by Frederick Scott Archer and
Gustave Le Gray separately yet nearly simultaneously, the photography technique combined the sharp clarity of the
daguerreotype and the calotype’s ability to print unlimited photographs from one negative. It dominated the photo
market for about 30 years. A glass plate is coated with soluble iodine and collodion. In the darkroom (these can be
portable), the plate is soaked in silver iodide; still wet, the plate is then exposed to a camera. Finally, the plate must be
developed and fixed within 15 minutes or less.

Colour Separation Process

Thomas Sutton, inventor of the single lens reflex camera, took the first colour photograph of an object in 1861. Maxwell
was disappointed with the results, however, pointing to the need for photographic emulsions with higher sensitivity to
red and green light. It wasn’t until 100 years later that Ralph M. Evans from the Kodak Eastman Company recreated
Maxwell’s original experiment and proved that the ultraviolet light from Tartan Ribbon was a result of the ultraviolet light
reflected in the colour red. Before digital imaging emerged, colour separation was achieved with black-and-white
analogue photographs taken through three primary colour filters (red, green, and blue), converted into lantern slides, and
projected with the same coloured filters. Negatives from the wet collodion process created glass positives.
 HISTORY OF FILM PHOTOGRAPHY CORRAL, A. (2016). 9 ANALOG PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES YOU NEED

TO KNOW. [ONLINE] ARTSY. AVAILABLE AT: HTTPS://WWW.ARTSY.NET/ARTICLE/ARTS Y-EDITORIAL-9-ANALOGUE-PHOTOGRAPHY-TECHN IQUES- YOU-NEED- TO-KNOW.

Photogravure
Although the photogravure was first developed in the 1820s by Nicéphore Niépce, then improved by Hippolyte-
Louis Fizeau in the early 1840s and Henry Fox Talbot by the late 1850s, the photography technique was significantly
improved when Czech artist Karel Klíc transferred an image to a copper plate from a gelatin-coated carbon pigment sheet
of paper in 1879.

Silver Gelatine Process

The silver gelatine process is over a century old and remains the primary photography technique used in black-and-white
film photography today. It was introduced in 1871 by British photographer Richard Leach Maddox and improved by
Charles Harper Bennett less than a decade later. Silver gelatine differs from the collodion process in that it doesn’t need
to be processed immediately after exposure.

Panchromatic Black-and-White Celluloid Film

By the late 1880s, orthochromatic and panchromatic black-and-white films expanded the spectrum of tones represented
in the silver gelatine process and introduced light sensitivity to all colours.

Autochrome Lumière
Patented near the turn of the 20th century by the Lumière brothers of France, the autochrome technique dominated the
color photography market until color film was developed in the 1930s. Technically an additive color, “mosaic screen
plate” process, autochrome required a longer exposure time than that of early black-and-white plates and film. When the
autochrome plate is in the camera, the glass side faces the lens as the light shines through the mosaic filter before
developing, thus attaining a dream-like painterly quality to the image. The analogue method was discontinued in 1955.
LUKE & NIK