• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

Mike Stouffer

Mike Stouffer
I've been uncomfortable around others my entire life. Have used the camera as a barrier between others and myself. Earplugs that are blue putty like, and off camera I go. Because of something being uncomfortable doesn't mean one has to stop enjoying the life around us. It's when we deal with the unknown, with no frustration or mini meltdowns, a day is a good day.

After becoming diagnosed a lot of pieces just seemed to fall into perfect places. As a child (I'm 56 now) the county placed me into the state mental asylum, Mendota, WI. Later many different institutions over the years. It wasn't until I was 45-years-old that I actively seeked out treatment. I never believed in labels and wasn't in a hurry to become one. Labels belong on soup cans.

Gave things awhile. Slowly trusted people, and became happier. Problems didn't disappear, but learned the triggers and paid attention to them. Waited in car while wife dealt with lines at checkouts. Deep breaths. I think a camera helps some put up a barrier between actual interaction with others, or who enjoys it as a hobby. Are there others who use a camera to calm them when at? Depending where it is of course.

New to this website. Also in 2011 I was forced to change how stress impacted my life. Open heart surgery and 19 stents later changed my lens on everything. It's hard to be inspiring, while humanities wheels seem to be in a high speed wobble. But not impossible.
 
Last edited:
welcome.png
 
Hi Mike, welcome to the site. Often use a camera when I have gone to different social events. It works like a barrier and it works well.
 
Hi Mike, welcome to the site. Often use a camera when I have gone to different social events. It works like a barrier and it works well.
Thank you Mia. I think if it helps having a little bit of that wall up is good for the mind. It's also a hobby a person can challenge themselves with.
 
Welcome! It sounds like you're coping really well, that's awesome. I hope to see you posting around in the future
 
I've been uncomfortable around others my entire life. Have used the camera as a barrier between others and myself. Earplugs that are blue putty like, and off camera I go. Because of something being uncomfortable doesn't mean one has to stop enjoying the life around us. It's when we deal with the unknown, with no frustration or mini meltdowns, a day is a good day.

After becoming diagnosed a lot of pieces just seemed to fall into perfect places. As a child (I'm 56 now) the county placed me into the state mental asylum, Mendota, WI. Later many different institutions over the years. It wasn't until I was 45-years-old that I actively seemed out treatment. I never believed in labels and wasn't in a hurry to become one. Labels belong on soup cans.

Gave things awhile. Slowly trusted people, and became happier. Problems didn't disappear, but learned the triggers and paid attention to them. Waited in car while wife dealt with lines at checkouts. Deep breaths. I think a camera helps some put up a barrier between actual interaction with others, or who enjoys it as a hobby. Are there others who use a camera to calm them when at? Depending where it is of course.

New to this website. Also in 2011 I was forced to change how stress impacted my life. Open heart surgery and 19 stents later changed my lens on everything. It's hard to be inspiring, while humanities wheels seem to be in a high speed wobble. But not impossible.

I had to take a tiny death trap plane ride into a snow covered mountain and was seated in the death seats a.k.a back row behind wheels. I used my phone camera to film the landing and watching it through the small screen made it seem less real, like it was happening to someone else...possibly on tv...and my body did not feel it and my mind stayed quiet.

Earphones are my new best friends when venturing into the maelstrom.
 
There's a good BBC documentary made just recently here in the UK called, "Richard and Jaco: Life with Autism". This little boy, Jaco, records everything to make sense of the world around him, if left to his own devices he would playback the entire day all the time. I imagine it must be similar to how you've learnt to cope with life and change.
giphy (12).gif
 
I had to take a tiny death trap plane ride into a snow covered mountain and was seated in the death seats a.k.a back row behind wheels. I used my phone camera to film the landing and watching it through the small screen made it seem less real, like it was happening to someone else...possibly on tv...and my body did not feel it and my mind stayed quiet.

Earphones are my new best friends when venturing into the maelstrom.
Thank you! Earplugs are a life saver! Really like what you shared.
 
hello mike. nict to meet you =) i take it, that you not only carry a camera with you but that you also operate it to take pictures, too? if so, i would be eager to see them - kubrick was an asperger; before he began film-making he worked as a photographer and his photographs were already famous by the time he took them. he always hid behind a camera.
then, i must say i very much like your introductionary story. it is short, yet its narrative density is at maximum empathetic ouput; delicate and expressive. obviously, you know how to work with words. your style of writing is great; if you haven't done so yet, please consider writing some more!
 
hello mike. nict to meet you =) i take it, that you not only carry a camera with you but that you also operate it to take pictures, too? if so, i would be eager to see them - kubrick was an asperger; before he began film-making he worked as a photographer and his photographs were already famous by the time he took them. he always hid behind a camera.
then, i must say i very much like your introductionary story. it is short, yet its narrative density is at maximum empathetic ouput; delicate and expressive. obviously, you know how to work with words. your style of writing is great; if you haven't done so yet, please consider writing some more!
Thank you, very kind words. The camera has captured many wonderful memories. Writing is another way I connect with others. I'm constantly writing down thoughts and such, mostly for my own eyes.

A lot of the photography has been uploaded to a website called EyeEm. Not sure if I can post a actual link. Still learning what's okay and not on this site. TheTinMansHeart.com
 
From one photographer to another... I meet lots of strangers, people I don't know, through my street photography... As someone said, I think it's my buffer perhaps... I'm actually involved with the project Humans of Calgary (think Humans of New York), meeting and photographing people to capture their stories... I'm certain that without using a camera I wouldn't do half the things I do... Although I do often feel like an outsider looking in, very much observing the world through the lens of my camera...
 
From one photographer to another... I meet lots of strangers, people I don't know, through my street photography... As someone said, I think it's my buffer perhaps... I'm actually involved with the project Humans of Calgary (think Humans of New York), meeting and photographing people to capture their stories... I'm certain that without using a camera I wouldn't do half the things I do... Although I do often feel like an outsider looking in, very much observing the world through the lens of my camera...
Welcome! The camera helps in so many different ways I've learned. Puts a buffer between things, can concentrate on the shot. Do you have a website with pics and stories? Sounds very cool and interesting. On Canada boarder along Great Lakes here (The Soo).
 

New Threads

Top Bottom