Let’s kick-start the week with an interview with one of our Changeling artists, Crow Theodore Oothuizen.
Emmy: Hello! Tell our readers a little about yourself.
Crow: My name is Crow Theodore Oosthuizen, I live in Durban, South Africa and I am an aspiring children’s book illustrator.
Emmy: What inspired your piece for Changeling, “Autumn Warrior”?
Crow: My changing piece was inspired by a children’s book I am currently working on that explores disability and neurodivergence in a fantasy setting. The character in the artwork is Milo who is deaf and autistic, he is shown in the book to have a unique connection with animals.
Emmy: How long have you been creating art?
Crow: I have been creating art for as long as I can remember but I started actively perusing it since I was 14 years old (so 6 years).
Emmy: Which artists inspired you when you were younger?
Crow: My favourite artists were Chris Riddell and Beatrix Potter.
Emmy: What were you passionate about when you were younger?
Crow: When I was a child I loved to write my own stories and would fill notebooks with them.
Emmy: What are your favourite things about being neurodivergent?
Crow: My favourite things about being neurodivergent are the unique perspective I have on the world, the way I can see things that others can’t and the way I am so passionate with everything that I do.
Emmy: What’s your favourite thing about creating art?
Crow: My favourite thing about creating art is the way I can bring the stories and the worlds I see in my head to life.
Emmy: Do you think being neurodivergent impacts the way you create?
Crow: I definitely believe being neurodivergent impacts my artwork as I draw through the lens of how I see the world.
Emmy: What would you say to any aspiring artists reading this?
Crow: I would say that no dream is too big when you are passionate about it.
Find Crow Theodore @crow_makes_art on Instagram, and their website: crowtheodoreoosthu.wixsite.com/crow-theodore
Changeling Annual 2023 will be published in May — keep an eye out for updates by following our Instagram.
Changeling Annual 