Niche environments and reasonable adjustments
by Steve Xoh

The subject of unmasking has been on my mind a lot over the last few months and won’t stop calling for my attention. It’s become particularly fascinating to me as I continue to explore my own neuro-diversity and contemplate the amount of self-modification that I have potentially been doing my whole life in order to appear “normal”, fit in and maintain relationships. It feels both helpful and a little sad to start to realise that maybe all of the things I have found difficult over the years haven’t been due to my lack of skills or abilities or being fundamentally broken, but simply because I’m not wired in a way that is conducive to ease amongst the norms of human relational society.

Back in 2020 I became the chair of a small organisation called Move Beyond Words that aimed to support neuro-diverse artists in navigating the complexities of their world, in particular finding meaningful work. During this time I became fascinated by the concepts of niche environments and reasonable adjustments as ways to 1) not disadvantage neuro-diverse people and 2) help them thrive and bring their brilliant wonkiness to the foreground. The way I understand these concepts is that a niche environment is a habitat (work, home, studio, social, etc.) that is particularly suitable for a neuro-diverse person’s unique needs and reasonable adjustments are requests that the person makes in order to facilitate this further. (Or reach compromises where an optimum niche environment is not possible).

My current curiosity about unmasking has made me really think about what my niche environments are - the type of environments where I can ideally not feel anxious or distracted or on-edge or have to work hard in order to just be there. And what are the reasonable adjustments that I habitually don’t ask for because I fear I will seem weird or diva-like through asking them. I’ve been experimenting with the latter more boldly over the last couple of months - requesting that phone calls become zoom calls so that I can see the person and more easily engage in the interaction in a way that is less tiring. Telling the waiter in a restaurant where people were watching videos on their phone that I am going to put my noise-cancelling headphones on but to please still come and talk to me when he needed to. And recently requesting that I don’t share a room with others on a residential trip as it means I don’t get my alone-time-social-recharge that I need so much to function the next day. (I don’t mind a tiny room or a mattress on the floor in a box room - both are preferable to sharing with others, no matter how nice the others are).

In terms of niche environments I realise that I thrive in quiet places where there are no loud conversations or digital sounds penetrating my brain and making me anxious/angry. I thrive with no shoes on, ideally feeling cold grass beneath my feet or at least a carpet or wooden floor. I thrive where I can wear clothes I am comfortable in and feel unconstrained and unrestricted. I am at my best when I have a clear but loose structure or intention and am then able to improvise within it. I’m at my best with natural lights and the avoidance of fluorescent tube lights for long periods of time. I’m relaxed and inspired by beautifully curated places with weird and wonderful colours and artefacts on the walls. (As I type this I realise that I have arranged my studio, pictured above, to be my almost perfect niche environment. I say “almost” as I am often disturbed by noise.)

Learning more about what external factors help me feel closer to my natural spontaneous self feels like a very important thing - not just for how I am wired but for facilitating my creative self expression. Minimising external factors that distract/disturb/disregulate and maximising those that settle, sooth and seduce my imagination.

I realise now that over many years I learnt ways to be able to function and do good work in environments that felt the opposite of my niche. I have worked in many, many corporate offices/workshop spaces for many years. And tolerated noise that my brain was experiencing as an almost painful invasion. And worn clothes that feels awkward and unnatural. And worked with agendas and project briefs that are too tight and constraining. And whilst I have been able to do this I am starting to realise how much underlying attention and energy all of this has consumed. Attention and energy that could have been better used on the work at hand. There is a similar story with social situations.

In writing all of this I can’t help but think that the concepts of niche environments and reasonable adjustments aren’t just helpful for neurodiverse humans but is also a really important factor for anyone who would like to nurture more of their own creativity. For me, creativity is simply a moment of spontaneous-self-expression* so it makes sense that anything that distracts or disturbs or interrupts that freedom and flow will be unhelpful. Anything that requires even a subtle effort in order to appear “normal” or to fit-in or to override how we are experiencing the world uses up valuable energy and attention that would be much better poured into our work.

Environment and habitat are an often overlooked but fundamentally important factor in our creative practice. Fair enough, the degrees to which it impacts us are uniquely dependent on the individual. But it feels like something that is a question worth asking no matter who we are or how we are wired.

(*that self expression may take the form of a painting or a dance but equally could take the form of a spreadsheet, a conversation or a moment of parenting).