It goes without saying that the phrase "clumsy artist" evokes absolute and utter dread. Especially if you happen to be paying said artist hundreds of pounds to create a custom piece of artwork for you.
After school I went to college to study Performing Arts. I was struggling in level 1 and my teacher wasn’t sure if I could handle it. I felt like this was my one chance to express myself and become more confident and involved with performing arts but feared I wouldn’t get to level 2.
I became a dad the year before last. I also suffer from the learning disability called Dyspraxia. The best way I can describe it is basically that you are always off balance.
The first memory I have of dyspraxia-related struggles are from reception year at primary school (4-5 years old), and we were given puzzle booklets to complete over the duration of the term. The puzzles were yellow with red dots, intended to be traced over. The particular puzzle that I remember was a maze, and I was so perplexed by it.
For as long as I can remember I have always been dyspraxic. It has made things harder for me, but it has also allowed me to be more determined and more creative.
I guess this is my very first vent piece. I’m not really one to talk about my own problems as often as I should and I’ve never really “artistically expressed” anything before. So I debated posting this for a long while but I guess I am.
Receiving support for dyspraxia can be difficult, and depending on where you are in the world can make that more challenging. It often feels like luck to receive an ample amount of support, like being in the right place at the right time.
As a child, I was acutely aware that there was something wrong with me; I just didn’t seem to “get” things the way other children would. I couldn’t ride a bike, my dancing was clunky and unrhythmic, and even my walk was referred to as “strange”.
Arts and crafts often require intricate detail (and therefore good fine motor skills) and the ability to carry out a sequence of tasks (requiring coordination and processing). And amongst the things dyspraxia affects are fine motor skills, coordination and processing. Despite how contradictory it sounds, it doesn’t mean that creativity isn’t for you if you’re dyspraxic! It’s about finding something you enjoy and doing it in a way that works for you.
Last October (2020) during the dyspraxia awareness week event, a group of women of varying ages hosted a live stream called "Dyspraxia in Women". Before the event took place it caused quite the ruckus and upset a lot from dyspraxic men.
