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Diverse Works
“The flower that grew from concrete is a poem about [how]… if you see a random flower growing through a crack [in the] concrete, you're amazed [that] it has the capacity to do [so] and are stunned by it. Much like if you were to see someone who overcame all the adversity and odds they faced, you are more stunned at where it grew from rather than simply admiring the flower for the beauty that it is. For people who face intersections of oppression in society and … neurodiversity, we too would like to be admired simply for being a flower … and not for the concrete we had to find the sunlight to grow from.”
Inspired by “The Rose That Grew From Concrete” by Tupac Shakur, this piece represents people looking in at the participant’s mind. Like a flower growing in concrete, they faced hardships and strife for being neurodiverse, but they simply want their experience to be admired for its beauty rather than its difficulties. Neurodiversity has not limited their ideas, thoughts, and achievements, but it has made their life vibrant, bright, and beautiful. To see the beauty of the flower for what it truly is, it is important to look away from the concrete.
"I chose the cat because as I get older the more exhausting masking gets. I may be different but I’m not a threat to anyone. My brain functions on it’s own accord. think when these processes are respected from the atypical, [then] we can evolve in the way we collective[ly] relate to our educational systems.”
This piece uses a white cat with orange cow spots to represent how this participant hides their neurodiversity to blend in with other students and prove that they belong at the University of Texas at Austin. Although this participant feels like they do not belong in their classes, they have found a sense of belonging in a Greek life organization and their religion.
"I slowly began to realize what works best for me and how I operate so [that] I [can] use those things as strengths, rather than looking at them as weaknesses. I think now that I know these things I don't feel shameful when I mess up in something because I think a big part of me realizing that I was neurodiverse was feeling very shameful and
feeling like I was broken and then still even feeling like, oh my gosh, maybe I should like be on medication for this. I'm not like a burden to other people and having somebody in my life who was able to tell me that I should never go on medication for somebody else if you enjoy the way that you are then that is what is most important."
This piece displays chaos and grass to contrast the vibrant colors of adversity with the natural sense of serenity that this participant’s friends and support systems provide. Together, the blades of grass make the participant's adversities more manageable.
"I just wanted the doctor to see me as someone who knew about what was happening … Like, I am a smart person with ADHD but it sometimes just does not make me
feel like that."
The foxes in this piece represent this participant’s intersectionality as a Black, neurodivergent person. Similar to how a fox may be underestimated because of its cuteness and size, others may assume that Black, neurodivergent people are limited by the intersectionality of their identity. In reality, both foxes and Black people who are neurodivergent far surpass the assumptions against them and fill the world with boundless, swirling energy.
"I have ADHD, but I don't feel it should be like completely demoralizing or anything like that. So, like I said, it's getting managed, I feel very content. Mentally, I feel pretty content. Thankfully, through like our period of like, quarantine and stuff like that, I've been able to do like a lot of self-reflecting on like myself and a bunch of other stuff that was going [on] too. It's easy for me to like, identify issues and problems that I have, and then go through the steps of reflecting and solving them. So because of that, I feel content."
In this photograph, the city of Austin is overtaking the model to represent the participant’s feelings of isolation while trying to navigate their diagnosis and transition into college. Although the participant’s friends acted as their support network, they knew that their friends did not truly understand their experiences as a neurodivergent person. The model reaches out for the level of understanding that this participant is searching for in their support systems.
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