The Spectrum Critters all have different sensory needs because they all have different ways they see, hear, and feel the world! They want you to know that the way you see things is great too.
You can read the original bios of the Spectrum Critters Here.
Feel free to leave a comment if you have a topic you want to see covered by the Spectrum Critters!
Artist at ArtsAflame
Ra Vashtar
They/Them or He/Him
ASD, ADHD.
Ra Vashtar is a visual artist, illustrator, writer, and self-described "monster rights activist." Currently Ra works in blogging, monster adoptions, commissioned illustration, video game art assets, and shirt designs for the Hot Topic Creator Program. They find joy and meaning in designing creatures that show even things that are a little different deserve love. Sometimes we all feel like monsters, but monsters are symbols of power and change. Ra is trans nonbinary and bisexual, and believes in advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ and neurodiverse communities through education and visibility. A fiery and funny extrovert, Ra found that through going first and speaking up, plenty of other monsters often echoed out from the shadows, inspired by not being alone.
Special interests: horror and monsters, middle eastern mythology, ancient Egypt, ferrets, criminal psychology, and fire.
They/Them or He/Him
ASD, ADHD.
Ra Vashtar is a visual artist, illustrator, writer, and self-described "monster rights activist." Currently Ra works in blogging, monster adoptions, commissioned illustration, video game art assets, and shirt designs for the Hot Topic Creator Program. They find joy and meaning in designing creatures that show even things that are a little different deserve love. Sometimes we all feel like monsters, but monsters are symbols of power and change. Ra is trans nonbinary and bisexual, and believes in advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ and neurodiverse communities through education and visibility. A fiery and funny extrovert, Ra found that through going first and speaking up, plenty of other monsters often echoed out from the shadows, inspired by not being alone.
Special interests: horror and monsters, middle eastern mythology, ancient Egypt, ferrets, criminal psychology, and fire.
Latest posts by artsaflame (see all)
- Spectrum Critters Comics: What is Masking? - March 5, 2021
- Spectrum Critters Comics: Sensory Needs - September 20, 2020
- Spectrum Critters Comics: Quiet Confidence - August 16, 2020
One Response
Yep, “Sometimes what we need depends on how we feel” to an even greater degree when other neurological, endocrine, mitochondrial, diseases and disorders are happening in addition to autism.
Related to that, and probably enmeshed with it, is, ‘Sometimes what we can do depends on how we feel’.
Let’s take what 20 to 30 minutes ago became yesterday, for example.
Saturday mornings are our local Creative Writers Group meetings at a locally owned bake shop.
Every other Saturday morning is our local model train club meeting, and then usually several people hang out to work on stuff on the club railroad layout.
Both were stopped for the last several months and just recently restarted.
In the morning I was fresh and ready for the group interaction and visiting and the creative energy.
After that I bought carry out lunch at another shop in our little burg’s downtown then went over to model train club to see what might be going on. Two people were leaving and two were staying.
We had been pretty lively at writers group for our 2 hour meeting which meant I used a lot of energy there, so I sat and quietly visited with the guy at model train club for a couple hours as they worked on projects.
Then it was time to go home & by the time I got home having any music on was too much stimulation for how physically tired I was. Ended up napping from 5pm to 10pm.
It was a welcome thing that my 2 cats tend not to crank up the tunes, after all, they have no thumbs.
Now I’m awake for a while in the middle of the night with one cat here on desk between my arms, the other curled up on a box rising above the back of the couch. And playing at low volume here on the computer is “Calm Piano Music 24/7: study music, focus, think, meditation, relaxing music” by a YouTube channel named Relaxdaily. Most other music would be too many different sounds happening at too fast a pace for how tired my body and being are currently.
Even though my preference would be to not become this tired after only that activity I’m okay with how I got this tired; the activity and interaction met needs which have proven to not get fulfilled by other means. It also helps that our little farm burg is only about 3 miles wide and not much driving is involved to get between activity and home.