STELLA Mars has conquered many difficulties in her short life, not the least being literacy and academic mastery that’s not always associated with people living with autism or ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder).
A finalist for this year’s Mornington Peninsula Mayor’s Short Story Writing Award in the eight to 12 years old category, the Mount Eliza girl has shown that she has a strong driving force determination to succeed.
The nine-year-old already considers herself a professional creative who knows where her talents lie and the obstacles she faces.
“I really enjoyed writing my story and I am proud of it. It took me quite a long time to write my piece because of my ADHD and my autism,” Mars said. “I would write for 15 minutes on paper with my favourite pens and then I would need to go into our garden and have a movement break. It was hard but fun work. The garden helps me clear my mind to think of new ideas.”
Stella is also a visual artist and has sold many pieces of art and exhibited her works in several galleries.
A student at the Retreat to Art studio in Mount Eliza, she attends confidence building classes and spends every spare hour at home being artistic: drawing, painting, writing, singing, dancing and exploring her family vegetable garden with her dog Lola.
“I feel really lucky to have the chance to explore everything I am interested in doing. My parents are very cool and help me so much with managing my autism and ADHD and all the creative things I want to achieve,” she said.
Stella is working on writing and illustrating a picture book about her struggles as a child with autism and combined ADHD.
“I hope everyone who reads the book when I finish it will learn a little bit and become more understanding of it (ASD and ADHD). I want this book to help people like me feel noticed and listened to.”
First published in the Mornington News – 29 August 2023
