Neurodiversity
Embracing Uniqueness
Perfectly Quirky
Over the recent years, we both came to the realisation that we are autistic and subsequently received our diagnoses. It didn’t come as a complete shock as we both already felt different to most people (as do most neurodivergent people). In our society, autism is known as a ‘condition’ and labelled as a disability, but this isn’t how we see it…
Yes – it can make life feel a lot more challenging due to our heightened sensitivity to the world around us… but this same sensitivity is responsible for the amazing gifts and talents that so many of us possess.
Whereas a non-autistic person may look at a table and see a table… we look at a table and see the wood it’s made of, the grain running through it and the molecules within the grain. We notice the fine detail in our environment and we view the world in great depth. We are highly sensitive to other people’s energies and emotions. We have an ability to connect deeply to our creativity and our minds have a way of organising information in a genius way.
Because of all of this, it can feel really draining – we are constantly taking in and processing so much information. We are also much more affected by trauma and external stimulation and stressors due to this increased sensitivity.
As one of our autistic friend's once said -"We are like superheros, until we are stood beneath an LED light!"
Not to mention how tiring it is constantly trying to fit into society norms which aren’t suited to our nature. We literally spend our lives unconsciously masking and copying other people to try and fit in!
BUT…. it is possible for us build our resilience to the external stressors and increase our capacity to hold the big emotions we often feel overwhelmed by. It’s also possible for us to unmask and unapologetically step into our authentic self. We can embrace the unique quirkiness we possess instead of feeling shame for it.
In our experience, the work we offer is hugely beneficial to neurodivergent individuals and has helped us both enormously in our lives. Everything we offer is neurodivergent friendly meaning it is created and hosted in a way that is right for our nature and supports our needs. This doesn’t mean our offerings are only suitable for neurodivergent people – quite the opposite. In our opinion, a neurodivergent world is one which reflects how we once lived before we lost connection to our sensitivity and the world around us – so everyone is welcome ♡
Autism - In our own Time & Space
In other cultures, autism isn’t labelled as a disorder, it is recognised that we are just different – more sensitive, living in a world which doesn’t correspond to our nature. The challenges we experience are respected and the inherent gifts that come with being highly sensitive are recognised.
The Māori term for autism is ‘Takiwātanga’, which translates to ‘in their own time and space’. They recognise that we operate at our own unique pace and rhythm, and when we do, we experience the world in a much more harmonious way.
When we visited Bali, we were speaking to the local owner of a restaurant about our sensitivity to the flashing lights. When we told him we were autistic, his eyes lit up and he asked us which gifts we have – artist, musician, genius or shaman. He said he felt honoured to meet us and invited us to sit with him. We sat chatting for a long while and when we left, it took us another step closer towards our passion of reframing what autism really is.
This video captures this perception beautifully. We hope it touches the hearts of those of you who relate, it did for us… ♡