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Latest blog posts:

Christmas errands and my internal monologue – 21st December 2024

“Alright, town centre, here we go…just a few last minute errands before Christmas and…oh great, a family with three kids…no, it’s fine, walk as slow as you like and take up the whole pavement, I’ll just step into the road…ok, reached the post office with time to spare…the people in front of me are talking about their Christmas plans… now someone else is talking on their phone at the same time… ooh, sorry, am I in the way? Where do I stand? Excuse me, are you in the queue? Ok thanks…”

Where do I stand? – 24th November 2024

“Content warning: politics, discrimination, racism, ableism, homophobia, catcalling.

There are a lot of divided opinions and online arguments about different people’s rights at the best of times, and recently these seem to have reached an all time high. Now, last month’s blog post aside, I’m not massively in the habit of discussing politics on my blog. And I’m not writing this with the intention of starting a big political debate. However, with so many marginalised groups of people being particularly vulnerable to people in power and/or in more privileged groups, I felt I should make my personal values clear…“

Do I need treatment? A response to Kemi Badenoch’s stance on autism – 26th October 2024

“Am I ill? Well, yes, a little bit. I have been fighting a cold for the best part of the week. I’m exhausted, can hardly breathe through my nose, and my bin is full of tissues. I have been popping supplements and decongestants every day, and am sipping honey and lemon as I write this.

Oh, you mean because of my autism? No. Come on, we’ve talked about this. Multiple times…“

Is autism a superpower? – 22nd September 2024

““Don’t focus on the negatives; you should see autism as a superpower!”

I have heard words like these plenty of times, both in my own life and in many autism-related online spaces. When someone talks about their struggles and insecurities as an autistic person, those around them try to get them to see autism as a potential advantage. And I understand the good intention here…“

Rules for being autistic: A comprehensive guide to navigating the neurotypical world – 16th August 2024

“Hello, and congratulations on discovering you are autistic. We hope you enjoy your long overdue journey of self discovery. Before you begin, we’d just like to go over a few ground rules on navigating the neurotypical world as an autistic person. We promise this won’t take long, but you may want to sit down for a moment to digest this information. Ready? Ok, here we go…“

Latest pet portraits:

Connie

This is Connie, who belongs to some good friends of mine and was adopted in February. She is also the adopted sibling of Nicky, who I drew earlier this year. I remember being told when she was new that she gives the best cuddles and can be a bit territorial when it comes to food!

Aimee and Libby

Meet Aimee and Libby, two Greyhounds who were rescued from the meat trade. They bonded with each other at the rescue centre and so had to be rehomed together. They are now living their best life and are very clever and full of energy. I’m told it was a struggle to get a photo of them both sitting still!

Tea, coffee, and how not to confuse your autistic employees

““I thought you’d know that by now!”

This is something I have heard too many times from managers. It’s a common struggle; they will set me a task, and I will follow my interpretation of their instructions to a T.

And, all too often, fall short of expectations. Because here’s the thing: while I’m busy doing exactly as I was told, my manager will inevitably be expecting me to instinctively know the aspects of the task that I wasn’t told.

For me, as an autistic adult and employee, one of the hardest things about getting by in a neurotypical dominant workplace is the autistic/neurotypical language barrier. I, like many autistic people, will follow the processes I know and the instructions I’m given. If I am explicitly asked to do something, I will do it. If I’m not, I won’t.”

Following my talk for the Health and Wellbeing at Work conference in March, I was recently asked to contribute an article to the latest edition of the H&W@W Newsletter: Neurodiversity articles that will get you thinking. Click the link below and read on to learn how to bridge some of the most common miscommunications between autistic employees and neurotypical managers: https://healthwellbeingwork.co.uk/guest-blogs/tea-coffee-confuse-autistic-colleagues

Beyond 6 Seconds Podcast: Different in more ways than one (or two)

Back in April, I had the honour of featuring on the award-winning Beyond 6 Seconds podcast! The Beyond 6 Second podcast features the real life stories of neurodivergent creators, advocates and entrepreneurs, and is hosted by Carolyn Kiel, an instructional designer of employee training programs. Here’s her summary of my episode:

“As an autistic gay woman of British and Taiwanese heritage, Grace Liu often felt, in her words, “different in more ways than one… more ways than two, even.” For years she struggled with disclosing her autism and sexuality, for fear of being ostracized and rejected.

On my latest episode, Grace talks about finding the courage to come out and share her life experiences more publicly through her long-running blog “Unwritten Grace Writing,” in her book “Approaching Autistic Adulthood: The Road Less Travelled,” as a public speaker, and with her family and friends — and in the process, how she has found acceptance from others and from herself.“

In this episode, we covered the following topics:

• How moving countries and being mixed race masked my autism in the early years
• The struggles of navigating social dynamics at secondary school as an autistic teenager
• Racial stereotyping and assumptions
• Lesser known autism struggles in the workplace
• How I got into blogging and autism advocacy
• The stages of coming out as a lesbian

We also covered:

• The day I made penguin feet at kindergarten
• My African bag with a snowman design
• How it is, in fact, rude to show someone your knickers

For the full story on any of the above points, please listen to the episode here or on the Beyond 6 Seconds website. While you’re at it, please follow Carolyn and the podcast on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and multiple podcast platforms listed on the website, such as Spotify, YouTube, Apple and many others. Don’t forget to follow my blog: https://unwrittengrace.wordpress.com/ for more autism-related content and updates, and in the meantime, I hope you enjoy the podcast!

Neurodivergent & LGBTQIA+: The ‘Double Rainbow’ Intersection

On Wednesday 20th March 2024, I was part of a panel speaking online about the “Double Rainbow” intersection between neurodivergence and the LGBTQ+ umbrella, chaired by Charlie Hart, aka Ausome Charlie. We answered questions surrounding the challenges of being in more than one marginalised category, and discussed what the rest of the world can do to create a more inclusive society. I’m told the audience number was well into the hundreds, with some very enthusiastic questions and comments in the comments section! All in all, another successful event, and I would like to say a huge thank you to Charlie for inviting me to be a part of it.

Health and Wellbeing at Work

On Tuesday 12th March 2024, I had the honour of speaking at the Health & Wellbeing at Work conference at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre! I answered a series of questions on how to make the workplace more autism friendly, something that seriously needs addressing. My session got a lot of laughs, compliments and further questions, and all copies of my book that I had brought with me were sold out within minutes. The event as a whole was also a valuable networking opportunity, and I got talking to many likeminded people as I was browsing the stalls. I am very thankful to the people who made this event happen, and I can’t wait to do it again!

Pet Portrait Gift Items Now Available!

How could YOU share your newly-drawn personalized pet portrait with your loved ones?

When you invest in a drawing from Grace Liu Pet Portraits, you now have the option to buy a matching gift item to go with it, personalized just for you! Now you can choose any of the below items to display your portrait of your much-loved pet and give to your closest friends and family:

• Greetings card
• Mug
• Coaster
• Keyring
• Full-colour prints

And that’s not all. If you are hoping to buy multiple items to give to the people who love your pet as much as you do…buy any four items (not counting the original portrait itself) and get the cheapest FREE!

Please note: no two items will come out exactly the same. The photos below are for display only.

For more information, including prices, materials and dimensions, please click here.

Grace Liu Pet Portraits is now available on Etsy!

It has taken a bit of trial and error (as I’m not the most tech savvy person), but my Etsy shop is finally up and running, and looking pretty polished if I do say so myself. So please click here for a browse, and if you are considering celebrating a special pet with a carefully hand-drawn portrait…you now have yet another platform on which to get started!

Approaching Autistic Adulthood Frequently Asked Questions

What do autistic adults most need to know when getting to grips with independent adult life?

Approaching Autistic Adulthood: The Road Less Travelled has been out for a good old while now, so I thought some FAQs were long overdue. The questions cover a variety of areas, from my experiences that inspired the book to the writing process itself, so please click here for a read. Meanwhile, if you have a question you would like me to address – or a question you think others might want to know – then please get in touch via email or any of my social media platforms.

Pet portrait business cards

Pet portrait commissions have been coming in thick and fast lately, and so I thought it was high time I had my own business cards created. Thanks to VistaPrint UK, I am very pleased with how they have turned out!

Pet Portraits Frequently Asked Questions

What would you like to know to be sure you are making the right buying decision before investing in a pet portrait?

Commissions have been coming thick and fast lately, and so I thought it was about time the pet portraits page on my website had its own FAQs! The questions cover a range of areas, including the materials I use, the drawing process and details surrounding shipping and payment, so please click here to find out more. If you have a question you would like me to address – or a question you think others might want to know – then please get in touch via email or any of my social media platforms.

“Meet the Author” with Grace Liu

On Wednesday 28th September 2022 at 7:00pm, I did an online talk for a “Meet the Author” event based in East Renfrewshire. I spoke for about an hour about being autistic with intersecting marginalised identities and how my experiences inspired my book. The talk included some insightful pointers at the end for autistic and non-autistic listeners, and plenty of embarrassing anecdotes too for a good laugh! After the main talk, there were 20-30 minutes to ask questions afterwards. All in all, the talk was a success and I am hugely thankful for this opportunity!

One-to-One-Enfield online autism conference

On Monday 13th June 2022 at 2pm, I did a live talk on Zoom for One-to-One, an autism charity in Enfield! This was part of an online conference focusing on the lived experiences of autistic women and LGBT+ people. I shared my story about growing up biracial, autistic and a lesbian. To find out more, please visit http://www.one-to-one-enfield.co.uk/spectrum or contact mail@one-to-one-enfield.co.uk.

University of Sheffield Autism Awareness event

On Tuesday 29th March 2022, I had the honour of doing a talk about autism at work and university at the University of Sheffield. Having spent all month preparing for it, I was very nervous, but the people arranging the event were very helpful and friendly, and even took me on a trip to Wetherspoons once it was all over! The event opened at 5pm, and I gave out my business cards, plus 20 signed copies of my book, as people came in. I started with an introduction on what life can be like for an autistic person, did two main sections on university and work, and talked about what to be aware of in Autism “Awareness” Month as a conclusion. I got quite a few laughs at various points, and I like to think I included plenty of food for thought as well. The audience were very enthusiastic and asked me a lot of great questions at the end! I was pretty tired once it was all over, but it was well worth it.

Click here for the University of Sheffield Diversity Champions Facebook page.

States of Independence at De Montfort University

On Saturday 26th March, I sold copies of my book at States of Independence 2022 at De Montfort University (my old uni) in Leicester. I shared a table with a good friend of mine, Katherine Hetzel, who is an author for children and young people (her website is here). The event took place from 10am-4.:30pm, and involved bookselling stalls (such as mine!), talks, discussions, workshops and book launches. There were students selling publications they had created as part of their course – something I did myself, back in the day – and various independent authors selling all kinds of books. There were children’s books, fiction, non-fiction, poetry and even art. It was nice to catch up with some of my old lecturers, and I had some really great conversations with other passers-by, many of whom had some connection to autism. By the end of the day, I sold 7 books. It was a great day, and I look forward to doing it again!

Click here for the States of Independence website and here for the Facebook page.

Minority Musings podcast

It took me a little longer than I would have liked, but my new podcast is now off the ground, and can be found here.

Episode 2: Dyslexia, ADHD and the overlap between them w/Kat Wood. What does it mean to be neurodivergent in more than one way? In episode no. 2 of the Minority Musings podcast, I had a chat with Kat (unintentional rhyme!), who I used to know at church. Kat is dyslexic, having been diagnosed unofficially as a child and officially at university. As a student, she was also diagnosed with ADHD, something that came as a complete surprise for her. She shared with me what it was like to have been diagnosed with ADHD so recently and unexpectedly, and how dyslexic and ADHD traits overlap. We compared our various neurodivergent traits, and also discussed the neurodiversity movement and the medical vs social model of disability.

For some reason, the sound quality was really bad down my end while I was recording with Kat, and there was a lot of reverb whenever I talked. Long story short, it doesn’t seem to be something that I can edit out. Sorry about that! I had to delete the intro and outro and rerecord those separately. This wasn’t an issue with the previous episode or the upcoming one, despite the fact that I have done nothing different with any of my recordings, so hopefully this will be a one off!

Episode 1: Accepting your sexuality – bisexual vs lesbian w/Clara Godwin-Suttie. (Content warning: mention of domestic/sexual violence, sex, HIV/AIDS) How are gay and bisexual coming-out processes similar? How do they differ? In this very first episode of the Minority Musings podcast, I got together with an old uni friend, Clara. As a bisexual person (Clara) and a lesbian (me), we compared our experiences with coming out, crushes and the stigma we have had to deal with. We discussed what schools could do to increase understanding and acceptance of young LGBT+ people, queer representation in the media, and at one point, went off on a tangent about whether you can smell if someone is ovulating. With a good-humoured yet frank approach to some traditionally taboo topics – and some input from Bouncer the cat – this is a podcast debut not to be missed!

Resources mentioned in this episode:
Stonewall
The Trevor Project
Terrence Higgins Trust

Meanwhile, if you are in any racial minority, on the LGBT+ spectrum, have a disability or are in any other minority category, and have a story or topic that you would like to talk about on this podcast, then please message me! Note that I want to avoid things like inspiration porn, confirmation bias, etc., and that you are free to correct me about anything. My aim is to create a safe space to talk about issues that people need to understand better. If you have any questions, fire away!