Dyslexia: How it affects my practice w/ Spike

Welcome to the AOI meet-up for disabled illustrators, in the widest possible definition.

In this meet-up we give the mic back to one of our attending community…

Our guest speaker will be Spike – an illustrator based in rural Nottinghamshire. They will walk us through what it is to be a working dyslexic illustrator and why they often find it hard to navigate their way through this visual industry as so many of our interactions are based on written transactions that are either contextual or contractual.

Spike graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a BA in illustration, and even though they live in the middle of England, they have long been inspired by the sea from their holidays to beaches in the UK. And that’s what they share about their current creative practice: “This has led me to an ongoing idea of my alternative vision of Seapunk, as a reaction to current events happening to the environment. I’ve recently been teaching myself Blender with the aim of creating my own creative universe influenced by Jamie Hewlett’s work on the Gorillaz Album ‘Plastic Beach’ to highlight the negative impact we have on our seas and oceans. Through my work, I want to create illustrations that both shock and raise awareness without scaring people away.“

Learn more about Spike and how they make it work on 16th October (Mon) 7-8:30pm online via Zoom.

>>> Please note: All ticket buyers will be sent access to a full audio recording of this meet-up, post event.<<<

View Spike’s portfolio here and check out them on Instagram Twitter LinkedIn

About Dyslexia

Dyslexia is the most common learning disability which affects 1 to 5 people. It primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. Despite that it is known that people with dyslexia are usually more creative and have a higher level of intelligence. Dyslexia is a highly hereditary condition but here are 4 of its positives: people with it have higher levels of empathy and are great big-picture thinkers. They are not afraid to think outside the box and have excellent visual-spatial skills.

About The Mixer

The Mixer is the disabled illustrators’ AOI meet-up. Our meet-up is open to all disabled illustrators, in the widest possible definition. This meet-up is about everyone involved to feel welcome to take part in building a community of trust. This is a place for disabled artists and illustrators to feel safe to speak up about any hardships and issues we have been challenged with and the solutions we came up with. We want to celebrate our proud moments, share our wins and most importantly – the love of making art.

The Mixer meet-up is a safe bubble to make new friends, get inspired and be supported. It is your space to blow some air, seek advice or simply share your art, tips and tricks to making it within the creative industry. All illustrators are welcome no matter where they stand in their professional career and whether they are an AOI member or not.

Accessiblity

The AOI would like to make events accessible to all, where possible. Please let us know your access requirements at least one week in advance by emailing [email protected]