Sensory Seen: An Interactive Exploration by Emma Haab

Welcome to "Sensory Seen"!

haabfemma — 2025-05-05 22:32:44 UTC

Many Autistic individual's experiences of the world can be more vivid, intense, or nuanced than most people's. The sights, sounds, and textures of everyday life can be overwhelming, calming, challenging, or invigorating. These sensory responses can also be sources of imaginative and self-expressive power, not just something they have to figure out how to ‘manage.’ When they create art and music, many Autistic creators can communicate, regulate their feelings, and connect with others in fulfilling ways.

On this wall, you will see examples of sensory-themed artwork, thoughts on how various senses relate to creativity, and engaging opportunities to reflect on your sensory world. Whether you're here to learn, contribute, or just enjoy, I ask that you explore with an open mind and open heart.

Begin exploring each of the senses, and let your engagement with sensory differences lead you to the creative extraordinary.

Introduction

haabfemma — 2025-05-05 22:44:19 UTC

Before diving into various sensory inputs and how they can influence the creative process in Autistic individuals, it is important to have a basic understanding of what sensory processing is and how it may affect different individuals, especially those who are neurodivergent. This short video does an excellent job of explaining the eight senses (yes, eight!) and provides a perfect analogy for how sensory processing can vary in different individuals!

Start here! Scroll right through the posts to explore how the senses can inform creativity!

haabfemma — 2025-05-05 22:47:14 UTC

Vision & Art

haabfemma — 2025-05-05 23:03:12 UTC

The visual perception of many individuals on the autism spectrum is unique, which can impact individuals with Autism and their methods of art in several remarkable ways. Studies show that individuals with autism typically have a bias toward local or detailed information due to the neglect of global or whole information, which is sometimes referred to as "seeing the trees but not the forest." Greater attention to detail than their non-autistic peers may allow individuals with autism to experience greater visual detection and memory, which may come out as detailed, complex, or bright-colored artwork.

Unique perceptual differences are not only barriers but serve as a basis for original artistic expression and even

skills associated with creative expression, such as visual memory or 3D drawing skills. Moreover, these experiences allow autistic individuals to define their style better as creativity relates to how an artist expresses their inner artist, and by expressing representations uniquely and emotionally, autistic artists can create original artwork. The recognition and appreciation of these unique perceptual strengths allow us to distinguish and value the richness of artistic expression that exists within the autism community.

Click the link above to explore a gallery of different artworks from talented Autistic artists!

Sound & Music

haabfemma — 2025-05-05 23:11:54 UTC

Sound sensitivity is a common experience for many autistic individuals, with certain everyday noises feeling overwhelming or even painful. However, music can be a powerful tool for emotional regulation and self-expression. Research suggests that while some sounds may trigger discomfort, structured musical experiences often provide comfort, focus, and a sense of control (Sharda et al., 2018). Many autistic musicians and artists use rhythm and melody to process emotions and communicate in ways that words sometimes cannot. This section explores the dual role of sound as both a challenge and a source of creative inspiration. Click the link above to check out Autistic musician Nathan Pustka and hear a bit about his story and how he is able to utilize his sensory sensitivities to play songs on the piano by ear!

Touch & Texture

haabfemma — 2025-05-05 23:19:32 UTC

Touch and texture are a significant part of how many autistic people relate to and perceive the world. Tactile sensitivity means that some types of material (e.g., soft fabric, rough surfaces, or sticky materials) can be either extremely soothing or extremely uncomfortable. For a lot of people, making things with their hands (e.g., molding clay, weaving cloth, or assembling textured collages) can give an incredible platform for self-expression and emotional regulation.

Click the link above to observe differing textures to explore your own threshold to tactile/auditory stimulation. The video is lengthy, so feel free to jump around to see as many different materials as you'd like. Comment below what materials/textures you found to be soothing or overstimulating. ⬇️

Reflect on your own senses:

haabfemma — 2025-05-06 00:35:44 UTC

Think about what inspires you to create and what senses relate to that. Do you look at inspirational photos on Pinterest? Do you listen to music? Do you seek certain tactile/touch-related senses like taking a shower or walking outside? These are all questions to guide you when thinking about this question! Leave a comment down below with your favorite way to get inspired to be creative.

Personal Connection

haabfemma — 2025-05-06 00:42:23 UTC

My younger brother, Liam, is Autistic and loves to create. When researching this topic, I could apply the information I learned from the literature to my own experiences with him and, in turn, learn more about how he experiences the world. Click the link above to view a Canva whiteboard with some of the art he's created!

Takeaways

haabfemma — 2025-05-06 00:44:19 UTC

What was your most significant takeaway from this experience? Did you learn anything that surprised or interested you? Comment below with your thoughts and/or questions!⬇️

Resources for Further Exploration

haabfemma — 2025-05-06 14:20:40 UTC

Linked below on this post and the following are some resources to learn more about creativity among the Autistic population. I hope that this exploration has provided you with more knowledge and insight into sensory-processing and how it can inform creativity!

The Art of Autism is a blog containing many articles, posts, and events relating to Autistic artists and their lived experiences.

https://the-art-of-autism.com/

Can you make it to the end?

haabfemma — 2025-05-06 14:23:30 UTC

This video is my favorite resource I learned about when creating this interactive exploration. This video transports you into the mind of an Autistic child. It shows how even a trip to the shopping mall can be highly challenging due to sensory-processing differences and sensitivities.

Creativity from the Lens of an Individual with Autism: Ted Talk with Joshua Friedberg

haabfemma — 2025-05-06 17:30:14 UTC

This Ted Talk "Redefining Creativity as an Autistic Person" by Joshua Friedberg is another incredible resource to hear about creativity directly from a musician on the spectrum. Joshua has been able to redefine what creativity means to him and is able to do things differently than what he feels society typically dictates as the "norm".

Sources

haabfemma — 2025-05-06 17:34:28 UTC

Here is a list of all of the web pages and videos I used to put together this Padlet. I also included the works cited page from my literature review, as those sources also shaped my understanding and the information included in this exploration.

https://the-art-of-autism.com/

https://www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk/

Thank you for viewing and interacting!

haabfemma — 2025-05-06 17:39:14 UTC