Different Strokes: Celebrating Neurodiversity Through Creativity
Different Strokes is a one-day creative event that celebrates neuro-affirmative ways of working, researching and collaborating. Through interdisciplinary conversations and reflective workshops exploring zine-making, lino printing, collective documentation and collage, it invites Sussex researchers to reflect on the ways neurodiversity shapes how we work.
Different Strokes is an inclusive, supportive space to share experiences, build community and explore different ways of working. It encourages the fostering of friendship and meaningful connection. Employing the inclusive umbrella term ‘Neurodiversity’, this event is open to all Sussex researchers who identify as neurodivergent (diagnosed/self-diagnosed/questioning), including, but not limited to, autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, CPTSD.
A reflective roundtable conversation led by the event’s facilitators will open the day, addressing topics such as navigating monotropism, burnout, late-stage diagnosis and accessibility within academic spaces. Participants are invited to steer the conversation with their own ideas and experiences.
Accessibility, agency and choice are paramount to Different Strokes, and so creative workshops on lino printing and zine-making will run concurrently. Facilitators will support with technique and guidance, but participants can experiment and explore at their own pace, switch activities or stay focused on one method. Parallel to workshops, a breakout room offers a quieter space for reflection, with prompts to help guide creativity through collaging, writing and drawing.
A creative, reflective session will close the day, and in an act of collaborative documentation, we will build a collective print using the Victorian Albion Press, creating a tapestry that celebrates the diversity and vibrancy of Sussex's neurodivergent research community.