Talking to Artist, Anthony Fothersgill about his artwork, workshops, being Neurodiverse and how being creative has helped him and others. Anthony lives in Harle Syke, Burnley. He has 17 year old twins. He was diagnosed a week before his 50th birthday on the Autistic Spectrum. Approximately 18 months ago he was diagnosed with ADHD. He has struggled with his mental health and depression a lot, and this is why he puts a lot of effort into his arts and crafts. " I exhibit at the North Approach Gallery and will be running an art workshop there. Arts and Crafts have been a passion for me my whole life. However, I have realised that, up until recently, I have been trying to fit in a world that doesn't fit me. I've tried desperately to meet other people's expectations and fit into their idea of what normal looks like, not anymore though! So now I'm living my life, by my rules. The only expectations I have are those I put on myself, and I'm in a much happier place for it. I've been called weird by a lot of people, including family and those who class themselves as friends. I let that eaffectIme for a long time and it made me very angry. Now I embrace it, I like to be the one that is different, the quirky one in the group, and that's where my artist name came from. Thequirkycraftguy is how I identify and it's how my artwork is signed. It is me, it's not only how other people see me, it's how I see myself. I don't want to be a sheep, fit in a box, and if I want to colour outside the lines, I will do.My art. My inspiration for my artwork comes from anything that makes me happy. I like to be outdoors, being active, enjoying nature, animals, birds, and meeting people along the way. I love cartoons, comics, animals, kawaii, and I take reference from these when I'm creating my art. My neuro divergent brain doesn't like to concentrate on one thing for too long, and I can't sit still. My brain flecks around from one thing to another very quickly. Before I finish a piece of work I already have another dozen pieces in my head. So I don't just paint, I make paper pulp sculptures, textile animals, I can crochet, and I'm always looking for new skills to learn. My workshop is called What!? No Brush!? It's about thinking creatively how to paint rather than what to paint.I will be setting up a Community Interest Company this year, I am volunteering at Team Rise, a charity that supports adults with disabilities, autism, vulnerable adults, and those who are socially isolated. I'm doing arts and crafts with them every Wednesday afternoon. I'm looking for more opportunities like this, it's the reason for the CIC, and I want to show how my disabilities are not holding me back. In fact, I believe it's why I'm a creative thinker. I'm not just creative in terms of my art, I think creatively about most things, it makes me a good problem solver. Also, the level that I'm at with my arts and crafts has involved 40+ years of practice. Creativity is a skill, and like any skill, to be good you need to practice. People tell me they are not creative, they can't draw or paint. I ask them, how much practice have they had? They cannot compare what I do with what they can do because I've practiced this my whole life.I'm sure you have probably got enough here to get an idea of who I am and what I'm about. I'm really looking forward to speaking with you, it's a shame we are not doing it in person, but maybe we could get together some other time. "
