Project in collaboration with Sian Morrell.
In 2021, Sian and Sam undertook a digital residency with Big Draw.
Our project, Drawing As Stimming was about opening up the body to wider listening. Stims are the repetitive, often soothing movements made by many autistic and neurodivergent people. Sam and Sian created a series of visual prompts that started from these movements, encouraging repetition and mark-making in a playful way and invited people to draw and stim with them online and through workshops. Drawing as Stimming aimed to create a time where it was safe to stim or to respond with the body through drawing.
They also created a series of tactile postcards with tactile shapes to reflect how you might approach marks you make - encouraging turning the paper and moving your body. If you are interested in a physical copy for yourself or groups you work with, do email Sam at sammetz@outlook.com . The drawing as stimming easy read cards are available as a printable resource in the toolkit list