artsaflame, Author at NeuroClastic

Drawing of a Dungeons and Dragons character sheet. Name: Ra Alignment: CG Drawing of "tattooed, pierced Adult me." Character Sheet: Strength 7, Constitution 6, Dexterity 9, Intelligence 16, Wisdom 9, Charisma 17. Skills: Perform (jokes), Craft (art things), Knowledge (crap), handle animal

Dungeons and Dragons and Not Hating Myself for Five Freaking Minutes.

artsaflame September 5, 2019

…Warriors are good at some things, like smashing things with an axe and using all kinds of weapons, and wizards are good at others, like casting spells and knowing a lot about things you may come across. Every class has its own specialties and affinities, and a group needs a diverse set of characters to be able to tackle the challenges ahead. As I playfully filled out character sheets with what I imagined my own stats would be, it made me realize– “I’ve been playing the game of life all wrong.”

Designing Diversity: Monster Mascots of the Autism Spectrum

artsaflame April 12, 2019

To celebrate the month of April and raise awareness about the diversity among individuals on the autism spectrum, I decided to create a group of unique creatures who embody a few of the different strengths and challenges of people with ASD. All of us are different and experience life in our own unique way, so these friendly critters represent that.

Self-Care: A Timeless Lesson of Need, Deprivation, and Consequence

artsaflame March 20, 2019

Let me introduce you to a figure from the folklore of Japan called the Futakuchi-onna. Her name means “two-mouthed woman,” and she comes from a country facing a crisis of self-care. In fact, at the end of last year, the youth suicide rate in Japan had reached its highest in thirty years. The stress of a work-centric culture along with a strong stigma against reaching out for mental health care are thought to be major factors for the suicide rates in Japan, and are things many of us can relate to on some level. Perhaps then, it is somehow appropriate that we can learn about the dangers and effects of neglecting ourselves through the story of the Futakuchi-onna.

The Fire Set Free: by Autistic Artist Ra Butler

artsaflame February 22, 2019

Autistic artist Ra Butler shares her sequential art and poetry piece, “Fire Set Free,” telling the story of her relationships through the lens of a fire goddess forgotten to time.

Forming Myself in Their Image: A Tale of My Shoggoth

artsaflame January 12, 2019

It often seemed like people around me didn’t have so much trouble learning what direction to grow in. They just knew how to become a human being. They knew when to say hello and goodbye, how to jump rope, ride bikes, what to talk about, and what to wear.

The Autism Spectrum According to Autistic People

The Autism Spectrum
According to Autistic People

NeuroClastic

Change | Divergently

artsaflame