Black, Neurodivergent, and Brilliant: How Art Therapy Can Be Your Superpower

Let’s get one thing clear right off the bat, being neurodivergent in a world that’s obsessed with sameness is exhausting. And when you’re Black and neurodivergent? You’re navigating layers. It’s like trying to do calculus while everyone around you is asking why you can’t just “act normal.” The masking, the missed diagnoses, the cultural misinterpretations; it’s a lot. And it’s not talked about nearly enough.

I see you. The ones who stim quietly in the bathroom at work. The ones who’ve been told they’re “too sensitive,” “too shy,” “too dramatic,” or “too much” when really, you’ve just been doing your best to process everything including the sounds, the smells, the microaggressions, the emotional labor, all while pretending you're fine.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD/ADD, and other forms of neurodivergence aren’t one-size-fits-all. It's not a straight line from “mild” to “severe,” and it's definitely not about being robotic or antisocial, which is what too many people still assume. The spectrum is more like a color wheel; vast, nuanced, and deeply individual. But here’s the thing: Black folks are underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or dismissed entirely when it comes to neurodivergence. And that erasure starts early. Many of us grew up being labeled as “bad,” “weird,” or “difficult” when we were actually just overwhelmed, misunderstood, and in need of support.

That’s where art therapy comes in.

Now, I know therapy hasn’t always felt safe or accessible for us. For a lot of Black folks, therapy can feel clinical, sterile, and lowkey anti-Black. You sit on a couch while someone who doesn’t understand your culture tries to analyze you through a textbook lens. No thanks.

But art therapy? It’s a different experience altogether. It allows us to communicate in ways that don’t always rely on verbal processing. It gives permission to express the internal world; the vivid colors, textures, stories, and symbols that don’t always come out in conversation. It honors the brilliance in how your mind works, rather than trying to change it.

In an art therapy session, clients get to unmask at their own pace. There’s no pressure to “perform” neurotypical behavior. You don’t have to make eye contact unless you want to. You can stim. You can speak in metaphors or images or silence. You can draw, paint, build, or even just sit and breathe. And all of it is valid.

We use creative tools to process emotions, build self-awareness, explore identity, and reconnect with the parts of ourselves that were forced to shrink to survive. This work is about expansion, not fixing nor not correcting, but expanding your access to joy, rest, and self-trust.

And yes, culture is held at the center. Because being autistic and Black doesn’t mean erasing your roots. It means learning how to honor both your sensory needs and your ancestral wisdom. It means finding ways to participate in a community that feels nourishing, not overwhelming. It means making space to talk about the complexity of the intersections of your identity and turning that weight into art.

Art therapy creates a bridge between your inner experience and the external world. It doesn’t require you to explain everything. It just asks that you show up as you are.

If you’ve ever been told you’re too much or not enough; too loud, too quiet, too blunt, too emotional; I want you to know this: You are not broken. You are not wrong. You are not a problem to be solved. You are a whole person who deserves care that affirms all of who you are.

I became an art therapist to create the kind of space I wish existed when I was younger, especially for those of us who fall outside the lines. I believe in therapy that looks like us, sounds like us, and celebrates our creativity instead of pathologizing it.

So if you're autistic, have ADHD or questioning whether you fit into a neurotypical box, and you’re looking for a space that honors your Blackness, your neurodivergence, your creativity, and your need to just be, you are more than welcome here.

Let’s make art. Let’s unmask. Let’s heal in full color.