Masking

Artist Statement

This piece represents the suppression that many neurodivergent individuals are taught to do. Children who do not behave “normally” are told that they will never fit in or be accepted if they do not change. If a child has trouble speaking because of their autism or needs constant stimulation because they have ADHD, they will be shunned and discriminated against until they can learn to be “acceptable” for the rest of society. Masking, the hiding of neurodivergent traits, requires significant effort and actively damages neurodivergent people's mental health. Rather than forcing everyone into a restrictive mold, I want to encourage neurodivergent people like me to embrace our unique abilities that our brains provide. While we may not think the same way as everyone else, our neurodivergence makes us special.