We all want to be seen, to be truly seen, it is a need we pursue with every expression of our existence. This is what separates the living from the dead.
In any space, we are generally taking cues from one another on how to act or react. An unspoken call and response is going on, the average person instinctively recognizes these cues without being conscious of the act but the neurodivergent who isn’t on that frequency often misses it. The older and self-aware learn to spot these cues but it takes considerable conscious effort. This is what makes social interactions exhausting, the constant looking for the right words and the right meaning that often leads to isolation.
As a neurodivergent artist, it is impossible to ignore how it impacts the way I work. The fixation on details and certain textures (material and acoustic), the restlessness (physically and mentally), the tendency to spot vague patterns and find related references from unrelated sources. It shapes the way I see the world, the way I handle relationships, and my expectations of life.
I read somewhere that one of the functions of friends and family is to see you from the outside and provide feedback that your mind uses in building a sense of self. This is important, what is also and probably more important is that they recognize what they see.
Maybe one day we will live in a place where it’s only love.
Osaji Chinedu George is a multidisciplinary artist exploring the fragility of truth, meaning, and memory.
OSAJI CHINEDU GEORGE 