The latest Michael Aldrich Foundation x Drug of Art workshop sought to celebrate neurodiverse minds through art and creativity. Run by PHD student, Chantal Spencer, the workshop was aimed at arts students at the University of Brighton.
Explains Chantal : ” Neurodivergent people often have to mask their true personalities in order to fit into a neurotypical world – this has a massive impact on people’s wellbeing and often leads to serious mental health issues.. The workshop encourages young people to decorate masks with found objects, paint and clay. These represent the wonderful aspects of themselves that they feel they need to mask. The other side of the mask is painted grey to show how masking removes people’s joy and confidence in themselves”
As well as the creative element and sharing experiences of neurodiversity, the students were also given information on how to access support both as students and in the workplace.
“I encouraged the students to think about the things they can do to ask for help and reasonable adjustments, that way they don’t burn themselves out. The creative aspect allowed for a less intense way to communicate as we could have comfortable silences between conversations”