Neurodiversity Collaboration with Ode to Them
To honour our shared values of embracing ‘oddness’, WAHP have created their first collaborative print, ‘Oddness is blooming’, alongside Ode to Them, a collective of neurodivergent creators.
Shyla, of Ode to them, has been modelling for me at We Are Hairy People, for nearly ten years. This year, Shyla created Ode to them- a collective of neurodivergent brands, to create a digital and physical space where creativity thrives, and meaningful connections are forged. Naturally, WAHP immediately joined the collective, and the first expression of our partnership has emerged.
Our ‘Oddness is blooming’, is a new and fresh approach of looking at neurodivergent differences. We are often seen as struggling and challenged. The aim of masking is to blend in and hide. When we attain a certain aesthetic of neurotypicality or finding success in world not made for us, it’s seen as an achievement- but this can be a dampening down of ourselves, as well as a constant unnecessary over-challenge of valid boundaries and invisible limitations.
We made our caption to not just acknowledge difference, but to honour the oddness and aspire for it to bloom, for everyone to see. Why can’t oddness be valued and inspirational in a world growing in acceptance and understanding?
The neurodivergents are flourishing, make way!
We are using odd florals and odd seasons in the artwork to reflect this. Oddness is blooming this Autumn, and we aim to develop the work to root in spring, sprout in Winter, and wither in Summer.
Explore the designs here!
