I’m a 41 year old artist and I call Sonoma County, CA home. I was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in early adulthood. I’ve always had a passion for art and love working with multiple mediums including printmaking, pottery, mosaics, cake decorating, and pumpkin carving. My work brings me great joy and calm in a world that can be over stimulating and chaotic for someone with autism. It also allows me to express myself without the need of spoken word. In art, I’m drawn to the moments when identity sharpens under pressure, when the world tilts and demands that we choose between shrinking back or stepping forward. This piece is a reminder that meeting resistance is not a threat; it’s an invitation. To be unafraid. To be unmistakably ourselves. To claim space even when the ground beneath us is moving. In the end, this piece is a celebration of those who refuse to blend in, who rise with the tide instead of being swept away by it.