Clara

I had such a great time meeting Clara and shooting with her; I see so much of myself as a teenager in her, and I felt like we really connected through our shared experiences. Her love of retro is shown through her effortlessly cool fashion sense; she’s definitely one of the most stylish people I have ever met! 

‘At the age of 10, I found out that I had autism, and in a way, it changed my life, as I had more of an understanding about who I was. From a young age, I had a strong passion for animation, and I loved how characters would come to life and how a story was told through the characters. 

When I was 11, I took an animation course at the Leeds collage of art two times, and I had such a great time as it was something that I was passionate about as well as talking to people who shared my passion. 

Since I found out that I had autism, I have told people about it so that can understand more about who I am. As a person with autism, my brain works differently, and that’s why I think differently, and see things differently. 

When I began high school, I was quite nervous because even though other people my age were around me, it was like being a small fish among other small fishes in a big pond. Even in high school, when I was at home, I had a group of dolls who I would talk to about my feelings, and I acted as if they were a family, and when I was 11, going through from primary to high school, that helped me a lot, as a person with autism. 

It was during my first year at high school when I began to listen to music, something before which I hadn’t actually done much of before. Occasionally, I would listen to a film’s soundtrack, and songs from a film. When I was 12, on my birthday, I watched Moulin Rouge (2001), and the songs that were covered in that film, from artists such as Madonna and Elton John, gave me an interest in listening to music. Throughout when I was 12, I had developed a love for the music of the Beatles (especially the song ‘girl’ from the Rubber Soul album), Bjork, Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66, culture club and others. Now that I’m 15, I love the Velvet Underground, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, T.Rex, Nico and many other artists. 

Another one of my interests would have to be looking at photos from the 60s/70s, as I love seeing what all the rockstars and the mods wore. I enjoy looking at these photos as they inspire me. People who inspire me such as Edie Sedgwick, Marianne Faithful, Anita Pallenberg, Jane Birkin, Françoise Hardy, and some male icons such as John Lennon, Kieth Richards and David Bowie. Their style really inspires me because their style is different, and I really like that as I think it’s unique. I love listening to 60s/70s music as it inspires me with my thoughts. 

At the end of the day, my autism is what makes me who I am. Sometimes it is quite hard to describe how it is to people, but as a person with autism, I’m proud of who I am, and that I’m different; remember, the whole world is filled with different people. Sometimes we may see things the same way, or have a completely different view.’ - Clara