Christine: Creativity Beyond Words

Christine is my daughter. She could speak partially for many years, enough for basic communication, but not to express the depth inside her.

Like many parents, we focused on what we thought would help her “catch up.” Then COVID happened, schools closed, and online lessons failed to engage her. Frustrated and restless, Christine needed a new way to express herself.

An art teacher arrived with two canvases. Three hours later, Christine had painted a yellow cat and a Calabar woman adorned with royal red beads, regal, grounded, intentional. I cried. Not just amazement, but grief for the years spent trying to mold her into someone she was not.

Music unlocked what words could not. Christine began painting with freedom and intensity. Her confidence, emotional regulation, self-awareness, and speech improved. She became a voice.

Her work has been exhibited in over sixteen online autism exhibitions, collaborations with GTBank, BBC, Channels Television, Alliance Française, and recognized by the National Museum of Kenya.