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Claiming my neurodivergent identity

  • Serial
9 artworks set out on a 3 by 3 grid against a black background. Each hand drawn artwork, created with watercolour and ink, presents an intricate world full of characters, words, symbolism and colourful objects. These worlds are connected together by tentacle-like forms which join one artwork to its neighbour.
Claiming my neurodivergent identity. © Carrie Ravenscroft.

Carrie Ravenscroft is an artist and illustrator whose art has always been closely connected to her mental health. For years she used art to help her cope with what she saw as her “failures”. As she put it:

“I was born with a rotten, mouldy brain incapable of learning efficiently. The humiliation of feeling I was wrong forced me to get creative.”

It wasn’t until Carrie’s ADHD* was confirmed through clinical tests in her early 30s that she discovered “the liberating power of a diagnosis”. After feeling like an outsider with problems for years, she found a new identity as one neurodivergent woman among many.

In these five films, Carrie reflects on a series of artworks that she created to help her map and process her journey. Part therapy, part memoir, these detailed and intricate works provided a lifeline during Covid lockdowns, sublimating her pain into paint and helping her work through difficult conversations.

Dive into a world of neurodivergent experiences with Carrie as your guide.

*Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can affect behaviour.

About the contributors

Black and white, head and shoulders portrait of Carrie Ravenscroft.

Carrie Ravenscroft

(she/her)
Artist

Carrie is a queer and neurodivergent artist from London. Her art practice focuses on women’s health, late diagnosis and the mind-body connection, which she communicates through colour, characters and symbolism in detailed, linked artworks. Recent creative projects include a neuroart exhibition in collaboration with neuroscientists at the Kings College ADHD Research Lab. Outside of making art, Carrie is a a mental health support worker and art psychotherapist at Mind, the mental health charity, and volunteers as a psychedelic first aider with the charity PsyCare.

Photographic black and white, head and shoulders portrait of Benjamin Gilbert.

Benjamin Gilbert

Filmmaker

Ben is a senior photographer for Wellcome. He is happiest when telling stories with his photographs, whether that be the health implications of rural-to-urban migration in India, or the dedication of the workers who power the NHS.

Black and white headshot of Lalita Kaplish, digital editor.

Lalita Kaplish

(she/her)
Editor/Producer

Lalita is a digital content editor at Wellcome Collection with particular interests in the history of science and medicine and discovering hidden stories in our collections.