Video summary
Amy Dawn Kotel describes drawing as a lifelong passion that has served as both a therapeutic outlet and a source of positive attention throughout her life. As a child who struggled with social anxiety, she found solace in art because it allowed her to turn inward rather than feeling the pressure to engage in constant conversation or connect directly with others. This creative practice became her primary way of managing her emotions, enabling her to explore strange creatures and intricate patterns while maintaining a sense of safety and comfort that speaking aloud could not provide.
Her artistic process is characterized by a constant need for stimulation and variety, traits she attributes to having ADHD, which drives her to seek out dopamine through creative expression. Amy often creates art in unconventional settings, such as late at night or even while listening during meetings, ensuring she can work whenever possible. To prevent stagnation, she actively challenges herself by experimenting with duller palettes before returning to the vibrant colors she loves, such as the aurora borealis, which make her eyes happy. She also avoids repeating the same techniques for too long, preferring to shift to completely different styles to release creative tension and keep her work fresh.
Beyond her personal process, Amy highlights the supportive environment of her community, noting that there is a unique acceptance for those who are artistic or perhaps a bit eccentric in her area. She observes that unlike many parts of the world where competition is fierce, her local scene is defined by educated individuals and artists who actively try to lift each other up rather than tearing each other down. This collaborative spirit allows her to feel less like an outsider and more like part of a collective effort to create, fostering a sense of belonging that she feels would not exist in a boring or less accepting place.
Ultimately, Amy reflects on the rarity of such a supportive atmosphere in today's world, acknowledging that many people outside her region do not realize how different their environment can be. She refers to this insular but nurturing community as existing behind a "tofu curtain," suggesting that the reality of life within these supportive circles is often hidden from those who live elsewhere. Her story illustrates how art can transform personal struggles into strengths, while also creating a sanctuary where eccentricity is celebrated and mutual support replaces competition, offering a glimpse into a world that values creativity and kindness above all else.
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[music]
>> I've been drawing always. It was the
most soothing thing I could possibly do
from, you know, with my time. It was
something that got me a lot of positive
attention. [music]
And it was a way to like, I had a lot of
social anxiety as a kid, so it was
[music] a way to
kind of go inward and not feel like I
had to be responsible for conversations
or
connecting with other people.
I really like drawing humans when I was
little and strange creatures and just a
lot of patterns.
My process when I do it is whenever I
[music] can. You know, at night, if
we're in the car, my husband drives, he
lets me do art. If we're if I'm at a
meeting that I can sit and do artwork
while I'm listening, I do artwork. It's
it is something that I do pretty
constantly at this point.
Once in a while, I'll try to challenge
myself to do it like [music] a duller
palette.
And I'll do it, but then I go back to
bright colors. I just
I want the sky of my dreams, you know,
like [music]
aurora borealis. You know, just certain
colors together like make my eyes really
happy.
>> [music]
>> And I try not to stay with one, you
know, if I do something too long, like
if I'm doing my circles a lot for like
several pieces, then I'm like, okay, I
want to do something completely
different [music] to kind of release
that.
There's something really positive about
having ADHD.
That
>> [music]
>> I just
I need the dopamine, so I constantly am
thinking, what can I do that would
fill that dopamine just enough and would
also
feel pleasing to me and maybe would
bring someone else joy.
You know, wherever you go around here,
there's a certain kind of acceptance for
someone like me who's [music] like a
little artsy, maybe a little eccentric.
Uh
>> [music]
>> where I feel like if I lived
somewhere really
boring that wouldn't exist. There's a
lot of educated people around here.
There's a lot of art people. And there's
a lot of opportunities, I feel like. And
there's a lot of people trying to
support each other in creating. I don't
feel so [music] much of a competition
with other people. I feel like we try to
raise each other up. And um in a world
like it is right [music] now, it's it's
rare. I mean, they call it the tofu
curtain.
And I think the reason they call it that
is because we don't realize what it's
like outside of this [music] area.