Chelsea: Vegan, feminist, artist, and #Autistic

Autism Unveiled Week 5

Chelsea_CadesCove

“Who am I?”

I am an art student currently studying animation and painting at Ball State University. Through my art, I attempt to challenge society’s perceptions of marginalized communities—including other animals—as well as explore the intersections between issues such as ableism, sexism, and speciesism.

Chelsea Dub "Self-Portrait"
Chelsea Dub “Self-Portrait”

“How is autism part of me?”

Autism is a part of me because it affects how I navigate and perceive the world. It helps me to notice details and find alternative solutions to problems, yet it also can overload my senses and processing abilities, causing a lot of anxiety and leaving me mentally and physically depleted at the end of the day. My propensity towards black-and-white thinking can also trigger my depression. I do not like the terms “high-functioning” and “low-functioning” when applied to autistic people because they reduce a person to a singular experience and without any sort of context. We all have challenges as well as skills and so have moments when we are “low-functioning” and moments when we are “high-functioning.”

Autism has also influenced my interest in visual art because I am a visual thinker, and I tend to communicate better through imagery or symbols. While I can speak, I was speech delayed and remember when I was unable to express myself verbally. Knowing exactly what I wanted to say, yet being unable to express it in a way that those around me could understand was not only frustrating, but made me feel vulnerable. That experience has shaped the way I empathize with other animals, who are underestimated and undervalued because of humans’ inability or refusal to understand them. It is important to me to emphasize that “different” does not mean “lesser.” Society’s inability or refusal to understand us does not make us broken. To “fix” my autism would radically change who I am.

Do Not Cut Here
Do Not Cut Here

Artist statement:
“You cannot fix what is not broken. Autism is not a disease. We are not incomplete puzzles—we are whole human beings. We are not tragedies—we are products of neurodiversity. Eliminating autism means eliminating us.”

Chelsea Dub "Loner"
Chelsea Dub “Loner”

Artist statement:
Loner is a personal reflection of the isolation I felt while growing up autistic. Despite exhibiting the characteristics of autism during childhood, it was not until September of 2012 (at the age of 22) that I received a formal diagnosis.

During my years in public school, I was given a difficult time by several teachers who took it personally that I was quiet in class, did not make eye contact, and did not smile often (which was due to my blunted affect, a common autism trait). I struggled to fit in socially in school, and I remember during parent-teacher conferences being described by my teachers as a “loner.” That particular school system had a one-size-fits-all education model, which was detrimental to me and my younger brother, who has ADHD and Tourette’s syndrome, and younger sister, who is also autistic. Society expects neurodivergent people to conform or assimilate into neurotypical culture, and when we fail to meet these rigid expectations, we are considered to be defective. They lock our minds in cages and wonder why we do not soar.

Stairway to Dissonance
Stairway to Dissonance

Artist statement:
This painting explores how ableism and speciesism overlap. Other animals are considered to be ‘less than’ because their brains are not wired the same way as humans’, and autistic people are dehumanized because of our differences in neurology. The ear tag strips animals of their dignity as sentient individuals, and similarly, the puzzle piece is often used to marginalize us. Autistic people and other animals are seen as incomplete, or parts of a whole, rather than as individuals with our own thoughts, feelings, and intrinsic value.

Both disabled people and other animals are valued only in our utility to others and in others’ ability to understand us. Autistic people and other animals have neurology that deviates from what is considered to be ‘normal’ or ‘ideal,’ and so our way of thinking and perceiving the world is viewed as deficient instead of just different. Furthermore, society correlates sentience with speaking ability, and so nonverbal individuals—including other animals—are assumed to be incapable of having thoughts or feelings and are often taken advantage of because of their inability to express themselves in ways that others readily comprehend.

Chelsea Dub, Indiana, U.S.A.

Chelsea is part of the Autism Unveiled Project – 6 weeks of posts by Autistic people commencing on April 2, 2015, World Autism Awareness Day.

5 replies on “Chelsea: Vegan, feminist, artist, and #Autistic”
  1. AMAZING POST – wise and strong.
    I wonder if there are proportionately more vegan and vegetarian autistic people? I’ve always suspected for the some of the reasons you detail…
    Thanks so much – beautiful.

  2. says: Elle Pierman

    Wow Chelsea, I am awed by your post. Your first artist statement is profound and so well written. I think you are absolutely right – no one should treat Autism as something to be fixed. I like your description of puzzles too. I feel like every human being is a puzzle put together differently from the next, and yet that doesn’t make anyone inferior or “broken.” Your discussion of what it means to be high-functioning or low-functioning is very inspiring as well. We all have moments of being high-functioning and low-functioning – you are so right, I can relate to that 100%. Thank you so much for sharing your insights and your art!

  3. says: Cameron

    Hi Chelsea. Thanks for sharing your experience with autism. I really like the way you tie the cultural critique and response to autism to ableism, sexism, and specieism. It is interesting to read how you approach these ways of othering, or discriminating as using similar, inappropriate lenses. I am also a fan of your distaste with labeling words like “high” and “low” functioning. I have recently been turned on to why using these words to describe someone is limiting and stifling, and I am grateful to people like you who introduce me to being more careful about the way I talk, think, and relate. Thank you!

  4. says: Sean

    Chelsea — beautiful work. “Stairway to Dissonance” is really, really moving. I never thought about the overlaps between ableism and specieism, but I wholeheartedly agree. The three-way connection between language, sentience, and exceptionalism has to be continually challenged if we’re going to protect the rights and dignity of those who are marginalized because they cannot or choose not to speak. I look forward to seeing more of your work.

  5. says: Sonnet

    Artist statement:
    “You cannot fix what is not broken. Autism is not a disease. We are not incomplete puzzles—we are whole human beings. We are not tragedies—we are products of neurodiversity. Eliminating autism means eliminating us.” Profound. The best and most meaningful artist statement I have read. Short and powerful. Not confusing at all

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