Think different. It’s one of the most celebrated campaigns – ever. Thinking differently is also the foundation of what creative people are meant to do – to do their job well.
At a very basic level, it’s also what separates those on the autistic spectrum from the rest of us. Science calls it neurodiverse thinking. We recognise it as what sets people like Albert Einstein, Alfred Hitchcock, Richard Branson and even Steve Jobs apart. 13 of the 18 individuals celebrated in the famous Apple ad were either diagnosed, or thought to be on, the autistic spectrum.
Alex Shifrin, former chief executive officer at Saatchi & Saatchi Russia and now managing partner at US brand consultancy and creative boutique, LP/AD, believes that the neurodiverse thinking of individuals who are on the autistic spectrum needs to be celebrated in the creative industries. With Toronto animation production studio, Thought Café, he narrates an animated film, Autism: Think Different, which explains his thinking. There is a fuller podcast for those who want to delve deeper, as well as a detailed thought piece, written by Shifrin.
Shifrin has two sons on the autistic spectrum and has done a lot of research into it.
Shifrin explains that creative fields have always been environments for people who people who think differently. Given that those on the spectrum approach problem-solving differently, he says that individuals with autism can become part of the community.
Increasingly, conversations on neurodiversity are shedding light on how those with neurological difference can drive creativity.
“Thinking differently is a valued characteristic in the creative fields. Individuals diagnosed with ASD are programmed to think different and have been integral to critical change throughout history,” Shifrin notes.
“The idea of what will happen to my boys when I’m not around began to bother me. We don’t know if they’ll require lifelong care or what type of care that might be. But, perhaps it’s not a matter of administering care and more about creating places in society where people who have autism can integrate and contribute without needing to be ‘cared for’.”
The film is the first in a series by Thought Cafe that focuses on topics around critical awareness and social issues.
