Struggling with Creativity

Living with a disorder or illness that effects your social and mental capabilities has to be extremely frustrating. My brother Jake is 18 and is severely Autistic and often has difficulty being in public places. Jake has certain routines that he needs to accomplish in order for his day to run smoothly. For example if you take Jake to the grocery store he will not leave the store until the automatic doors completely close. This routine can take anywhere between 30 seconds to 45 minutes, depending on how many people are entering and exiting. If the routine takes longer Jake will get upset and has no problem getting extremely upset.

Who wouldn’t get frustrated if they were not able to effectively communicate? However, it is common for numerous people to give Jake strange and sometimes angry looks. Outside of his occasional outbursts Jake has a very sweet and creative mind. Jake loves to draw and likes to arrange DVD covers on the ground in creative shapes and patterns.

I think Jake’s situation is similar to that of Elizabeth in Bessie Head’s, A Question of Power. Elizabeth is mentally ill and many fictional characters are constantly plaguing her subconscious. Many people view Elizabeth as crazy but if one takes a closer look this idea of crazy can be transformed into a view of creativity. Elizabeth is able to create certain images of people she believes to be real. Elizabeth is much like a screen play writer, shaping her characters. However, Elizabeth eventually realizes that she cannot control these characters and is stuck with the them much like a screen play writer is stuck with their final product.

I believe that Jake understands everything that goes on around him but much like Elizabeth is unable to control his outbursts. Much like Elizabeth until you take a closer look at Jake you will never understand or appreciate his creativity.