72. Connecting to Nature Through Wildlife Photography, with Alfie Bowen

Discover what’s possible when you focus your lens beyond the surface.  Alfie Bowen is an autism self-advocate, wildlife photographer, author, and activist based in Suffolk, England. He uses his art to highlight animal emotion and connect people with the natural world.  At just 23 years old, Alfie was recently signed by the UK’s biggest art gallery network, Castle Fine Art. His debut collection Call of the Wild was launched earlier this year, and his first book will be released in September. The documentary An Eye for Detail tells the story of how Alfie’s passion for animals and photography helped him cope with childhood bullying.  In this conversation, we discuss:  Alfie growing up feeling like an alien on Earth  His attempts at suicide Social skills he’s had to teach himself Feeling misunderstood His inspiration for becoming a photographer How nature has positively impacted his mental health Autistic strengths related to photography Advice for other autistic photographers  For more information about Alfie and his work, please visit alfiebowen.com.  ----more---- If you’re a self-advocate wanting to share your life experiences, or a professional working in the field of autism education, our SkillCorps® volunteer program is an opportunity you don’t want to miss!  Work alongside our Global Autism Partners to help ensure that all autistic individuals around the world have access to quality education and services.  To learn more about our SkillCorps® program, check out episodes 4, 17, 53, and 66, featuring SkillCorps® volunteers that have been to our partner sites in India, The Netherlands, Indonesia, Dominican Republic, and Kenya, to name a few. Listen to them talk about their transformative experiences and see what SkillCorps® can offer you!  Begin your journey today at globalautismproject.org/skillcorps. As a listener of our show, take advantage of the coupon code AUTISMPODCAST (no space and all caps) to waive the application fee.  ----more---- We appreciate your time. If you enjoy this podcast and you’d like to support our mission, please take just a few seconds to share it with one person who you think will find value in it too.  Follow us on Instagram: @autismpodcast  Join our community on Mighty Networks: Global Autism Community  Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Global Autism Project  We would love to hear your feedback about the show. Please fill out this short survey to let us know your thoughts: Listener Survey.