I’ve always been a maverick. I couldn’t help it. Not only am I gender non-binary, but I’m also neurodiverse and creative as well. The world for me is a very different place than it is for the majority of society.
What society expects just doesn’t work for me. For most of my life, I thought the trouble that I had socially was that I wasn’t trying hard enough to fit in.
It didn’t dawn on me, until much later, that perhaps instead of trying to fit in, I needed to find the community that would allow me to be me.
This was easier said than done for, though I knew that I was creative at a very young age, I didn’t know that other parts of me had descriptions too. I was neurodiverse and non-binary as well.
I always knew that I was both of these things, however, becoming aware of them formally went a long way in explaining why I was always struggling when it came to social interactions.
The one thing that did surprise me was how much people pick up on subtle clues about differences, and how often most people just want the person who is different to act as they expect.
I’m not a performer. I don’t want to have to act my entire life.
Ever since these discoveries I’ve also realized why the world I’m creating for Jellybean is so important.
Jellybean is a maverick too. They don’t fit in. They’re also the progeny of a magician. They know the importance of transformation not only personally but for society as well.
Jelly uses their talent to create little creatures to change the Realm they were born into. The little creatures represent not only diversity of existence but a willingness to live outside the decorum that society expects. Jelly changes their world one little creature at a time.
It’s my hope that each of us will find our own unique voice and raise them together to create a world where we ALL belong.
I believe in peace, love, rainbows and YOU!
—Tessla, Queen of Smiles, Keeper of the Portal
