The past year was something I don’t have the language to describe. I can just simply say, it was hard. One thing that did come out of the challenges of 2022 was that I received a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. I’m not surprised. I have struggled so much my entire life, and as most of you know, my son was diagnosed at the age of five. Receiving this diagnosis has opened up an entirely new path for me. There is much for me to learn about who I really am rather than who I’ve always thought I should be. I’ve spent much of my life chasing the next new shiny self-help (advice, technique, guru, blah, blah, blah) trying to fix me, but nothing ever worked. I’m not sure how to let go of nearly five decades of thinking there was something fundamentally wrong with me, but that is the path I’ve been put on for 2023. I hope you will join me as I navigate my way through it.
One thing I did on New Year’s Eve was go through the photos of all the artwork I created in 2022. I had numerous setbacks, including a broken finger on my dominant hand, but going through the photos, I realized I created more than I thought I did. I want to thank Karen Campbell and Lucy Brydon (Brian Froud, faeries, and Celtic Collective), Effy Wild, Erin Orion, Kiala Givehand, Sage Adderley, and Ida Andersen Lang for inspiring me and my creativity this year.
I put together a montage of my 2022 creations. I hope you enjoy.
Sarah Joyce Bryant 