Dez (Loveartpix)
Appearances
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah, I think some of my wider family...
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
mean i keep myself to myself as i say you know i only go out to i only got once twice a week when i do go out if i go to family occasions i i have a drink and this is one thing as well that i've kind of realized later on when people say oh are you all right because when i go out i'm a very confident person that's part of the masking the autistic masking so when i go out so and i've re-evaluated and i was thinking well all these times these people have seen me i've been drinking
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
You know, I only see these people at family do's or that. So, you know, it's part of the mask as well. And I do understand why people don't get it because of the level of masking. The thing that I struggle with is that if somebody if you if you perceive somebody so confident, why would they lie about something that has such a stigma around it to get attention when you don't need attention?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
And then I really, and that's part of the trauma that I deal with even now. You know, it's like, I find that traumatic that people have to say that. Yeah, it's one of those kind of things. So when I was approached by, I forgot her name. I just went to ask you that. The lady who messaged me.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
It doesn't make sense that I think is a reflection of people who don't believe it rather than me. And I think that that's the sad thing about it.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah. It's like you say, you know, and it's taught me a while to even get to this stage now where, I mean, the documentary is in, in, um, editing, they're in the editing stage of that now.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
That's quite daunting when that comes up because there's a lot of personal stuff on that and that's got a big reach, you know, and it's like, you know, this as well, you know, but I feel like if I'm not going to do it, who else is going to do it? And that's, that's on my own thing. I know everybody is doing their own bits and back.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
I feel like it's on me too, as a human, as someone who wants to make my part in society. And that's what I really want to make that change. And I have the understanding and, you know, I blog about this thing as well, you know, and what I know, I'm no specialist. I'm still understanding myself, but I do understand a lot more than I would say the average Joe.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
So yeah, I'm just trying to, I'm just trying to get it out there. And like you say, it's just, it's just talking and breaking the stigma down, breaking that stigma down. I think everything in the world has a label. People talk about labels. That's another thing. And they say, oh, I don't like the label. But everyone's label, male, female. We learn as babies, as children, by labeling. That's food.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
That's water. That's vegetable. It's the perception of the label. One of the analogies I use is, I mean, it's not probably the greatest one, but it's if when people are growing up, for boys, for example, you know, say my son now who's seven years old. If you asked him, does he want to be a football player when he's older or a bin man?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
I can guarantee, and I know what his answer would be already, you know, and that's just the perception of that role. The famous celebrity, you know, what the great, they love the skills, but Abhimanyu is just as, just as, you know, just as good. It's the perception of, of, of what, what it is. So if you change the perception, we can change everything else.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, she messaged me on LinkedIn and said, yeah, she's done this podcast. I think you'd be great on that. And I looked up and I thought, I'll be great. You know, I think because you're in the States as well, I think for me, I feel like it feels a bit out of the way, even though it's still global, you know, like it feels different though. In my head, it feels different.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
And that's, take that negativity away from it. There's positives and negatives in everything.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah, they can't link that. We probably wouldn't be speaking here on my MacBook right now if it wasn't for neurodivergent people who think outside the box. With my art exhibition coming up, I'm working with a range of neurodivergent artists. I think it's like seven. Seven there is. I've got a late diagnosed lady. She's a classic violinist.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
So she's created a piece of music on how she feels socializing. It's about where to go with that. I've got a gentleman as well. He's 61 years old. He had a late diagnosis of autism. He's exploring his life now, you know, for the first time ever. He's a poet, great wordsmith. So he's done a poem on masking. I've done a piece of artwork to go with that. I've got Two young boys are at school.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
They're autistic. I've done some art. We've collaborated on a piece of artwork for that. I just wanted to show the different styles and ranges just to promote that, you know. And I think the more people can see it and just relate to it, there's some good projects with them. So I'm excited about it.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
yeah yeah that that's um when if i just put something out on social media today when i was going through the diagnosis once i had the diagnosis sorry of autism you research it immediately like it wasn't even though i believe that i wasn't if she if they would have told me i wasn't it would have been a blow because the way that i think as well which i think is very artistic trait is it needs to be factual to a degree so you know even though i knew myself if they didn't tell me it wasn't and it wouldn't have been and i wouldn't have said that i was
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah, when you go away and you research it, it's all about children. The research isn't there in adults fully yet. We're getting there now. So obviously you go on social media and you look out for them. And there was someone I came across called Born Anxious and Kelly, who runs that, her son is autistic, neurodivergent, and she's brought out all these, she does all these different clothing.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
I've done a clothing line with her as well to promote awareness. And yeah, this is one of the things there. And that's one of the hats from the other day I took off.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Just keep... So anybody who doesn't understand it, listen to people who are autistic. You know, listen to people who are neurodivergent. Listen to... Listen with an open mind. Anything that you think, you know, just be open-minded about it. Anybody who is autistic as well or all think that they are all struggling, just try to listen to yourself and...
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
That is the complicated one, you know, relationships are complicated and there's a generational thing too as well, you know, and you speak to people and they won't have it. And that can be really damning, especially when you're trying to unmask. For me, isolating myself away from people who are negative, bringing myself away and then reaching out to people on social media.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Social media, it can be poisonous in one aspect, like Facebook,
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
It depends on who I'm speaking to, you know, and who says it. But I just say, well, OK, you know, because you can't argue with people. If they've got a certain version in their head, you can't tell them the opposite and they're going to believe it immediately. So I just normally say, well, OK.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah, exactly. There's a lot of platforms, isn't there? And if you're trying to do them all, for me, I mean, promoting myself and getting the story out there, but also not just promoting, just connecting with people. And I speak with a lot of different people on Instagram. A lot of people message me daily. I have a lot more relationships with people online than I have with people my whole life.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
I speak to them a lot more.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah, it's just more of an understanding. And I think once you have that connection, that's it. And I think there's less judgment as well, you know, from people who understand it. We're all in the same kind of thing together, aren't we?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah, yeah, definitely. That's, that's the, yeah, that definitely, I mean, my partner laughs. I block people for fun. Like I don't, I don't do it as much anymore because I think I've blocked them off. Well, you know, I used to have so many people on it and I, and I just think that's just too negative. That's just too negative.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
And it's, and when you're very open to these things and a lot of things can, it can impact your mood, you know? So it's like, it's one image and it can impact you so much. I know. I don't, I don't need to see that, you know? So yeah, I've stopped a few people on mine.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Oh, no, thank you for having me on as well. Again, it's my first podcast that I've done, so yeah, thanks for being welcoming.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah, on Instagram, it's loveartpics. And the same, I mean, my website's the same, www.loveartpics.co.uk. Any of my angles is just loveartpics. That's just easy to contact me on that.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah, it definitely is. I've been nervous all day. I've been anxious about this. But yeah, you've made it really comfortable. Yeah, it's been great. It's been a great experience.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
And I say, well, five, ten years ago, I wouldn't have believed I was autistic myself until I understood it, you know. And then I say, well...
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
what is autism and that's why i say that to them i say i say you don't believe i'm autistic will you tell me what autism is and then every single time it's just there's a silence and it's um it's a complete ignorance and i really struggle with that how people can be that ignorant if i told somebody that i had cancer you wouldn't question that yeah i just feel like it's it's yes it's not um there's that stigma that really needs to be broken down and that's what hopefully i can be part of the movement to to make it better for future generations
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah, it's definitely that. And I think like anything, I think the more you normalize it, the more it's spoken about. But as you say, you know, the bigger problem is that there's different levels of it. People are very superficial and they see things in one way and it's like, oh, well, that's that. I understand it as that. Therefore, it can't be that.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
And that is a big confusion I think people have when it's like, well...
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
there's so many variations and since i got my diagnosis then the immediate thing from that was i mean you get the phone call after three years of going through the process the drawn-out process i got the phone call and you know i cried it was the validation i cried on the phone i was like then it's like basically you're artistic there you go and you think that there's some sort of some sort of help and there isn't anything out there you get a couple of things and luckily enough in the area where i am which i mean that service is shut now i had 10
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
free life coach sessions which was great you know so i think it was during the third session the lady mentioned neurodivergent to me which i've never ever heard of unless i've heard it in passing and not really taken notice of it when i looked into that that was the key moment not just being autistic was the key moment of understanding
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
how my brain works and how I process things to understand that there's neurodivergent and neurotypical. There's two neurotypes. That to me is the key. And I think if a lot more people understand that, I think it will break things down.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
And I think in terms of treatment also as well, if you treat everybody in a neurotypical, this neurotypical umbrella, mental health, mental health on this side, you know, mental health approach is potentially dangerous to a lot of neurodivergents as well. If you're autistic, ADHD, you know, what you're doing in that sense is not right. You know, so I think there needs to be a lot of big changes.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
I was 41 years old. Yeah, I'm 45 now. I mean, even in that, it's opened the key to the door. It's like I lived in a stadium analogy. I've lived in a stadium all my life. The lights have been switched off. I've been struggling around. Now the lights have been switched on. And it's like I can see everything, but there's still tons to go through. I've got to go back through it all.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
And I'm trying to understand. And everything does make sense going back through it. But it's just there's tons of it. And it's just... I mean, I don't even feel, I mean, I've spoken to a lot of people who have late diagnosis and they have a lot of anger because they've not been diagnosed for it.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
I don't have any anger towards it because I feel if I would have been diagnosed earlier, it potentially would have been a lot worse. I went through a lot of racism and I think being autistic on top of that with the stigma attached to it, it wouldn't have been good, you know?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
So I think at this moment in my life, it's the right time for me to process it and have a lot more understanding of different things in life, you know? So I think it's the right time.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah, so... I was diagnosed bipolar in my early 20s before. I call it the bipolar boom, where everybody was diagnosed with bipolar, but I got diagnosed just before that, coming into that. I'd never heard of bipolar, and I was having a lot of issues going out, and I was having meltdowns, which I now understand to be meltdowns and sensory overloads.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
don't know what was going on um and then so for 20 years 20 odd years i was um under the mental health system given every medication you can take even um one of the psychiatrists i've seen and said look there's you've had every every combination you can have what else do you want us to do for you and i was like that's not what you want to hear you know so um then
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
My partner got pregnant and it was like, I need to get my, I need to have a better understanding of who I am now. And I need to take control is to be a better father, you know, to be a good father when my son's born. Well, when my child born, I didn't know it was going to be a son. So yeah, I had to fight for that.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
I mean, during the system, when I was in the mental health system anyway, it's like you bipolar, that's it. And there was lots of messing around and I had to really kind of fight for that. And then I nearly got booted off the mental health system a couple of times because of the mistakes they made. I complained about them. And then there was that, no, it was your fault now to really fight.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
And then they come back and then they apologize. And then I said, I need to sort this out. So they put me through to the head psychiatrist who said, yeah, you show signs of autism, which had been mentioned many years ago before, but I never really kind of looked into it again. I didn't know much about it and I didn't seem like I fit in that. And I should have researched it in hindsight.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
I wish I would have done, you know, um, but yeah, looking, looking through that, then that was the, the big turning point. And once I looked into it, when they mentioned it and I went for the initial assessment, I was like, wow, it blew my head. I was like, how have I not known this? Everything seems to make sense. So yeah, I got the diagnosis from that.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
But then since then I've been diagnosed with ADHD. I believe that bipolar and ADHD are very similar, as you probably know as well. The traits are very similar. I mean, considering that I've taken every medication for bipolar and it's never worked, you know, and then I've now got ADHD. Yeah, I feel like it's always been ADHD.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
And also being under the neurodivergent bracket as well, there's a lot of mixing and, you know, yeah. So I feel like, yeah, that's just what it is. And then since then, I've been researching it even more and I looked into, there's a lot of trauma that I have, which I always thought the trauma was from having racial abuse growing up, having a lot of racism. So I thought it was down to that.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Obviously the autism diagnosis, I looked into that further and there's a lot of people who are late diagnosed with complex PTSD.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
so i you know i had the therapy for that as well saying that when i when i did have the therapy for that in the service i said initially on the under the nhs i said um can i speak to somebody who has an understanding of neurodivergent conditions so i said yeah and then they came in and then when when we actually went through the therapy they said that they couldn't kind of really finish it because their initial training is on a neurotypical model so again when it when we came down to it at the end it was like the risk wasn't worth the root with the reward
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
they could have obviously you're visiting a lot of memories and if and that could trigger more i mean i struggle with suicide ideation if there's something like that then that's not they're they're not equipped to deal with that so it wasn't yeah it wasn't worth going into that so they referred me back to my doctor and said do not re-refer and that now i've spoke to my doctor the other week even and she said unfortunately at this moment in time there isn't any services out there that can help because and which i do understand because being having late diagnosis there's there's not much research into it it's fairly new in terms of what they understand of it so
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah, I think we're at that kind of stage now where there is research going to take a long time before it gets really kicks in.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
so yeah so um when i was going through the the the process i'm a night person i think a lot of um no divergent people are as well you know my brain comes alive at night and so i've always been kind of creative so i started to create artwork on an app called pixar when i'm in bed at night that's what i do i'm up all night so it's just it gives me a way of channeling my focus on whatever
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
rather than going down rabbit holes, what people do, you know, it was, it was something that I could really focus. I wouldn't call it, I don't call it therapy, art therapy. I call it art focus because when I'm creating, I hold my breath sometimes, but you know, when I created a piece of artwork, it's like I'm burnt out after it, mentally burnt out because I put so much focus on it. So, um,
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah, I've created artwork. That was kind of what I use as my life tool now. That helps me a lot. But also as well, just going through my life thinking that I was damaged, which I still think that the trauma is a massive element to that. But just to know that there's nothing wrong with me, it's my neurotype, it's my condition. That's been the big item on that.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
to realise that no, there's not nothing wrong with you, you know, which I've always thought in my life. So now to understand that now and to understand there is a reason for it, I'm not damaged, you know, obviously, I mean, on top of that, there is damage, like I said, the trauma side of things. Yeah, that's made
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
difference one of the things when i was diagnosed bipolar when i was seeing the psychiatrist they were saying to me what triggers it what trigger i'm like well i can't pinpoint anything something could just happen and that's it and it doesn't there's no kind of pattern to it but when i look at it now there is a pattern it's just any any change in this in the slightest pattern you know um i could walk into a room and there'd be something out of place and that would completely throw me you know it can be that severe depending on how my moods are
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
So, yeah, now I have a great understanding of that. My partner understands that too. So, you know, again, it's still not perfect. I still struggle, you know, but just knowing these extra things, I can put things in place. So now, like, I mean, when I spoke to you in the emails, you know, I said that, Can we speak briefly before it? You know, just I like to understand things.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
I go into something blind, you know, and when any service that I deal with, I communicate and say, can you just make sure you communicate? If you say you're going to ring me at this time, make sure you do. You know, these little things can have massive knock on effects. So I try to be as open as I can to people now to explain to them.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
So I'm trying to prevent something rather than deal with it afterwards.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
How's it going? You good, Tony? Yeah. I've been asked to do a few podcasts before. I'll turn them down because speaking on this topic, obviously, you know, it's quite, there's a lot of different versions of how people see it. And there's a lot of stigma around it too.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah, I believe in that too. I think before I've done, I've done a couple of radio calls before. There was one that I did and that was kind of the game of the questions. And I didn't like, because I don't like to read over it because then I'll overanalyze it. I'd rather put on the spot to a degree and then I can get the most natural answer out.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
As much as trying to give the, you know, you asked me one question, I've got a million thoughts going through my head how to answer that, which can be overwhelming. So sometimes I'll go off pattern as well as you can probably already realize I'm trying to answer so much things. But, you know, when it's scripted, I think it's, I'm not really great with scripts.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
I think it's just the natural flow of things. I create my artwork that way as well. I have a rough idea of it, but I like it to be natural and organic.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
I've always kind of been artistic, my views and stuff like that. But it was the main when I started to focus on it was when going through the assessment. So it got diagnosed in 2021. So it was a couple of years before that, but I really kind of focused on it more so during the diagnosis, you know, and I realized that I had a bit of a talent about it.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
I'd like to say that, but, you know, I realized that I've got my own kind of niche and my own style and, And it's helpful for me. So I wanted to get my artwork out there. And then there were certain people asking me to do a piece of artwork, and I thought it was a great way to get my stuff out there. But I struggled a lot with that as well, because I have my own style, my own visions.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
And when people want something very specific, you could give 100 artists the same list to do, and they would come up with 100 different styles of the same thing. They've got five words that they've got to do off the briefing. So for me, I think it's just your own interpretation. And if people can't see that, you've got to kind of be open. I like to express myself in my own way.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
And I feel like there's a lot of weight on people's shoulders to say, there's no kind of one right thing to say is that you've got your own truths. Just from my own life experience, you know, I'm judged daily when I, I mean, I'm six foot three, look a certain way, come across very confident. Yeah. I'm questioned on when I say I'm autistic. No, you're not. And it's like, what?
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
I don't have one style. I like to look at different styles because I'm self-taught as well. I like to take different styles and try things out, try new things out.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
Yeah, I mean, art is my main thing that I do because I found the art now and understanding my diagnosis and my neurotype at this age in my life.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
i want to really and i don't like i hate sounding cliche when i say it i want to really make a difference i want to help people if i can help anybody i will do so i i use art as the tool it's not something that i just you know it could have been the gym you know when i was going through my diagnosis i could have been going to the gym it's just that it happens to be artwork um and something it really helps me in some different ways i think it's kind of niching that
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
You don't have to leave the house, which I leave the house once or twice a week, max. Sometimes I've not left the house in months. When I do leave the house, it takes me a lot of focus to go out. And then the burnout after it as well. I mean, even this meeting now, we're having this Zoom, you know, after this, I would burn out after this, the preparation mentally for this. But I'm prepared for it.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
And I feel it's for the greater good, you know, in many different terms. The art has just really come as my tool for that. But then from that now I've got my first, the first ever neurodivergent art focus group in a maximum security prison. It's never been done before. That's working with neurodivergent prisoners. That's the first of its kind. I'm collaborating with them.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
I've got a group of guys in there that's done really well, that one. I've already been asked by prisons to go in there. I've got my first art exhibition, which will be in Manchester soon.
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent Inclusion
in the uk in next year it'll be early next year it should have been a little late this year but there's been a few um changes in that it's my first solo but the one i wanted to do as well i wanted to do a couple of collaborations with other neurodivergent artists just to use my platform to help them as well i've got my documentary that's been filming for two years so yeah everything's geared towards they're all linked intertwined into raising awareness and making a difference