Episode 45: The Creative Sides of Autism + Advocacy Through Art [featuring Bret Malley]

Creativity is a medium of expression and connection that often works well for neurodivergent individuals.

In this episode, Patrick Casale and Dr. Megan Anna Neff, two AuDHD mental health professionals, are joined by Bret Malley, filmmaker, professor, late-in-life diagnosed Autistic person, and father of an Autistic son, for an enriching conversation that explores the intersection of autism and creativity.

Bret shares his journey of autism advocacy, inspired by the desire to support his son, using creative outlets, as well as shares his process and inspiration for creating a documentary that seeks to provide a more authentic understanding of autism, reflecting on the creative process and the balance of vulnerability and representation that comes with such a responsibility.

Top 3 reasons to listen to the entire episode:

1. Understand the importance of presence and how creative endeavors can help individuals, particularly those with autism and ADHD, to feel more connected and alive amidst the struggles of an overactive mind or an uncooperative body.
2. Learn about the role that environmental factors can play for Autistic individuals in the ability to concentrate and be present in work, as well as the benefits of creating a designated space and time to dedicate to entering a zone of hyperfocused creativity (or the “vortex” as described by Megan Anna).
3. Identify how from the devastation of the pandemic there was also a rise in virtual engagements that fostered unexpected creative synergies and closer relationships.

Creativity and art can be powerful means for autism advocacy and personal expression. We encourage you to think about the ways your creative expression can affect how you connect with the world around you, as well as lead to more compassion and understanding.

More about Bret Malley:

Bret Malley is an award-winning filmmaker as well as a full-time career and technical educator, professional photographer, and author of Adobe Master Class; Advanced Compositing in Adobe Photoshop CC. His visual work and articles have been featured internationally in magazines and publications such as Photoshop User, Advanced Photoshop magazine, Photoshop Creative magazine, and Photography is Art magazine among others. He is a full-time college professor in Visual Communications and Multimedia Arts at Chemeketa Community College and teaches a range of classes and topics including animation, motion graphics, filmmaking, photography, sound design, augmented and virtual reality, emerging media, and various creative software and tools.

With an MFA in Computer Art from Syracuse University, and a BA in Film and Digital Media from UC Santa Cruz, Bret has been a return guest on KelbyOne’s The Grid, is a regular expert on Photobacks TV (PixelU), and also speaks at national live events and teaches various online classes (through CreativeLive, KelbyOne, and Craftsy). Whenever he is not teaching, leading international photography tours (through Craftours), working on films, creating personal works, or out adventuring around Oregon with his wife, Erin, and son, Kellen, Bret is also squeezing in commercial work across the US.

In addition to immersing himself in the world of digital imagery, Bret Malley has won various accolades as a filmmaker, animator, composer, and documentarian—working in social justice themes of global and regional import. He is most known for his feature film Greenwashers (2011). See more of Bret’s work at www.BretMalley.com.

• Donate to the Film: thedivergentgift.com
• Instagram: