Hello Aspies & others

[artful_aspie]

I am older than most would want to be which just proves I am a survivor. It has made me quite mad, bad, & dangerous to know. I paint pictures with paint & brushes; I grow stuff; I care for pets; I make YT videos; I went to art college; I went to university; I made pottery for years; I taught English & Social Science to kids which nearly killed me. I am not a really social person, a loner, a lone wolf, a hermit, a force upon itself. However, I appreciate that the world is made of all types of people & I could try to lift my solitary existence during a very testing time. This world is in a dangerous place for humans. If we do not care for its environment, or ourselves better then we will slowly go. Which may be a good or bad thing depending on one's point of view. I have joined this forum to find out. I welcome conversations, not abuse or judgement as I get that all the time now. So hello, if you like art let me know. If you are aging with Asperger's & find the masking coming down as it is for me, let me know.

 

[Mia]

My mask came off when I retired. I'm also an artist but don't sell commercially anymore. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Alexej]

Welcome @artful_aspie

glad to have you with us. There are quite a few of us in here who are older.

 

[MyLifeAsAnAspie]

Welcome to forums . I'm an older aspie who always knew I was, but have only been guardedly open for the last year. Teaching kids . Certainly something I never considered.

 

[Wolfsage]

Hi.

 

[Loren]

Welcome

 

[Thinx]

Hi and welcome. Yes plenty of people here are in your age range, I'm hesitant to say 'older', as I really do not feel it. Wiser of course. I hope you enjoy it here and find plenty of useful ideas and threads to read and respond to.

 

[Sherlock77]

Hello... I am an amateur (semi-pro?) photographer, more in the documentary style, link in my signature... I hesitate to call myself an artist, prefer to use the term photojournalist...

I don't think I've ever masked that much, but then only had knowledge of Asperger's/Autism within the last five years, only diagnosed officially earlier this year as HFA 1, so high functioning... I think from hanging out with artists and a bunch of odd characters over the years, I learned that I can just be myself anyway...

 

[clg114]

Welcome to Autism Forums!

 

[Streetwise]

I am older than most would want to be which just proves I am a survivor. It has made me quite mad, bad, & dangerous to know. I paint pictures with paint & brushes; I grow stuff; I care for pets; I make YT videos; I went to art college; I went to university; I made pottery for years; I taught English & Social Science to kids which nearly killed me. I am not a really social person, a loner, a lone wolf, a hermit, a force upon itself. However, I appreciate that the world is made of all types of people & I could try to lift my solitary existence during a very testing time. This world is in a dangerous place for humans. If we do not care for its environment, or ourselves better then we will slowly go. Which may be a good or bad thing depending on one's point of view. I have joined this forum to find out. I welcome conversations, not abuse or judgement as I get that all the time now. So hello, if you like art let me know. If you are aging with Asperger's & find the masking coming down as it is for me, let me know.

Oldest person in the UK to be diagnosed 83 ,Lord Cavendish died (1790s)67 never diagnosed his whole life,I was diagnosed 45 nearly 46 ,I'm not shocked like the first year I was a member here ,very rare for anyone that might be confused as NT(that is typical majority neurology) to be diagnosed before 20 or 30 ,Hans Asperger only recognised a group of boys !!!!!!!shock horror in the 1940s, it didn't become very!!!!!!!!! widely diagnosed until the 2000s .
Five years for me since diagnosis im still confused.

 

[VictorR]

Welcome!

 

[artful_aspie]

Thank you all for replying to my thread. There are two things I am interested in: Art making & Dealing with Aging with Asperger's & comorbidities. I do feel old as I have to deal with the consequences of severe skin cancer. I take chemotherapy which my doctor cheerfully tells me, 'I could die at any time!' Good news as far as I am concerned, but you know it keeps them busy. I despise hospitals, hate nurses & doctors with a passion as they never understand what dealing with a person with ASD means! I tell them; they ignore it! There are always consequences. My masking has come down, I cannot be bothered being pleasant to people who are pompous, overbearing, surly, or are crazymakers. Crazymakers ruin everything out of a desire to see chaos. What do Aspergians hate? Chaos!
I am trying these forums because I have been told to do so, I offer no explanation of that yet. As well, I figure the whole world cannot be crazy although at times I wonder. My life has been difficult & I have just done the best I could do. People used & abused me. They do not anymore. At least my defenses have developed enough to stop bothering with insincere people or crazymakers. Teaching was the final straw that broke this stubborn camel's back. Kids are awful! Their parents are awful! The school system is awful! I received no support, although I lost 20 kg in a few months & most of my mind.
Art keeps me going. I do not need to do it for sale, as most of the local art galleries have been damaged by the pandemic, & in any case the art world attracts some real crazymakers. It is my obsession. What are yours? Thank you for reading.

 

[Sherlock77]

Oldest person in the UK to be diagnosed 83 ,Lord Cavendish died (1790s)67 never diagnosed his whole life,I was diagnosed 45 nearly 46 ,I'm not shocked like the first year I was a member here ,very rare for anyone that might be confused as NT(that is typical majority neurology) to be diagnosed before 20 or 30 ,Hans Asperger only recognised a group of boys !!!!!!!shock horror in the 1940s, it didn't become very!!!!!!!!! widely diagnosed until the 2000s .
Five years for me since diagnosis im still confused.

Only because it was obvious to observe the lowest functioning autism... The higher functioning people slipped under the cracks of diagnosis back then, because it is still fairly subtle in comparison... Because I've worked full-time my whole life (until this past year, darn Covid!), except for some behavioural observations my life still is fairly normal, as an HFA 1

 

[Sherlock77]

...
Art keeps me going. I do not need to do it for sale, as most of the local art galleries have been damaged by the pandemic, & in any case the art world attracts some real crazymakers. It is my obsession. What are yours? Thank you for reading.

A few people around here know that my obsession is my photography, as I mentioned earlier... Right now being unemployed I go out basically every day... I know lots of other photographers who aren't that regular with it, for me my photo walks are also part of my mental health regime - getting outside into some fresh air, and getting lots of steps, I average five to eight kilometres of walking everyday...

 

[SusanLR]

I'm an old Aspie that wasn't diagnosed until I was in my late fifties. 63 now.
Inside I feel forever 21, emotionally stuck around 13, physically I'm worn out and live with
a man that keeps me ever upset, but, no money or where to go. No family.
Need to be put out to pasture.

I grew up with co-morbids since age 13. Anxiety, panic attacks and depression.
Only child and never cared about making friends. And, no, they didn't recognize anything
like HFA back then.

As long as my parents treated me well, and they did, I was content with art, music, gardening and
animals. Nature too, in the Ozark hills. Home schooled high school.
I had my own greenhouse and a ceramic studio back then.
I've taught also. Modeling and metaphysics, but, my work has been in pharmaceuticals.
I've had liver cancer, half of it was removed 10 years ago. I've survived what the docs said
would be only 2-3 years prognosis.

Sounds like we've had a lot in common.
My main obsession at the moment is growing orchids and trying to find some way to live on
a low income without needing the man I house share with. Too many disabilities to live alone
and not enough money for assisted living. Working on contacting agencies and trying to find out
what we do at this age and low income.

I dropped my masks when my last living family member died and left me in the world alone
not knowing what to do.
So welcome. Mad and bad?
Here's a charcoal I call Norman's attic!

 

[AutisticAstronaut]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[artful_aspie]

Well, I am impressed. The artwork is terrific SusanLA & you be as mad & bad as you like. You must try & escape that relationship, is there a women's group that could help you?
Walk up a storm Sherlock77, I was watching only for a while the story of L. S. Lowry, but his complaining mother did my head in, & working everyday is essential. Has anyone seen 'The Cats of Mirikitani'? A real story of a homeless Japanese-American who was denied his citizenship during WW2, but was consequently revoked. He did not know! So, the point is that this guy regardless of his circumstances kept making art. Until he was 'discovered'; he is deceased now. Terrific story.
I am hiding this Xmas. As I have no one to buy gifts for I gave myself some permission. Bought some art materials, a load of paper weighing in as a bag of cement! Paint & new brushes, some skin Sun protection gear called Sparms & Neck Gaiters, & some interesting seeds for my garden: Moon Flowers, Red Cardinal Vine, & Giant Ruffled Zinnias that look like dahlias. The TV is off except for my DVDs: Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Hannibal the Cannibal (very cheerful at Xmas) & other nonsense.
I understand how you feel SusanLA about the inside age. Aspies do not grow up, we are stuck unless we really try to move on. I needed a Mental Health Plan to get me to see a psychiatrist & I regularly visit a psychologist who specializes in ASD. Slowly, I am undoing the hurt of a lifetime. Abused as a child, abused more as a teenager, more as a young adult, then eventually I became a SCHOOL TEACHER????!!!! Man, was I abused. Kids are horrible; their parents are horrible; the Education Boards are horrible; other teachers are really horrible - what was I thinking? But, that is the point. We with ASD do not. We comply, we do what we are told, we are manipulated, neurotypicals take us for granted. Our meltdowns are seen as unnecessary, our stims as idiotic, our obsessions as a sickness, you know. Great being here, I post on YouTube under #artfulaspie where I show my artwork & talk about stuff. I do not socially engage directly with people as it always ends up as a car-wreck. People find & tell me how weird I am - nice? I am hoping for a comet strike any day Write soon, I usually look at late night Eastern Standard Time Australia.