I’m Jackie Venus (she/they)—a self-taught illustrator/animator, writer, advocate, trauma alchemist, and multiply-disabled person navigating life in Appalachian poverty with my cat familiars.

I’m AuDHD (possibly PDA as well), AFAB but my gender identity is non‑binary, and I live with CPTSD, PMOS (previously known as PCOS), MCAS/HIT, and numerous other invisible disabilities—many of which I believe are the direct result of prolonged abuse my body will never fully recover from. I’ve been on SSDI since 2009, and was formally diagnosed autistic in 2019 at age 39.

By the time I turned 45, I finally accepted that being the outcast of the outcasts wasn’t a curse—it was a choice that many won’t actually make. I’d rather die alone with integrity than stand beside people who’ve forgotten what humanity means. Who would tear me apart while being indifferent or even gleeful at my suffering, before they’d ever turn a mirror inward.

I don’t expect perfection from anyone, even myself—I just expect accountability when someone points out the harm they cause. Most aren’t willing to do that, though.

My goal in creating and sharing my art is to help people struggling with similar abuses learn to navigate them and advocate for themselves as safely as possible. I also believe I’ll learn new things by connecting with others through my art. I hope I never reach a point where I believe I know enough to stop growing.

But here’s a hard truth I keep returning to: how can one recover from severe trauma when the systems they need to survive are still actively traumatizing them daily? The answer is that they cannot—not fully. And that’s why I believe the more we tell our stories collectively, the more likely it is that we can eventually dismantle those systems and truly heal from our traumas. Not just putting “band-aids” over wounds that need stitches and more care.

In 2024, I was hired as a co-researcher through the Double Rainbow Lab at UMass, then as illustrator on the same project in 2025 for a peer-reviewed publication. I never imagined combining my two biggest special interests without holding a degree in either field. For someone constantly told I wasn’t good enough for such spaces, I still sometimes doubt myself, but I’m excited about what the future holds.

Even if I never manage to turn my art into a full‑time career that keeps me gainfully employed—since my disabilities tend to worsen with age and I’m not sure how much I can realistically do without proper supports—I’m still excited to be even a small part of the changes our society collectively needs.

Art is my love language, and creating this kind of work lets me know I’m sending that love back into the Universe. All of my art—even the whimsy and fun stuff—is a reflection of who I truly am beyond others’ expectations of me.

So if you’re here, thank you. But be warned: my art and advocacy aren’t exactly a “safe space” for everyone. I discuss and illustrate hard topics that come with content/trigger warnings.

Spirituality is waking up in me now. I’m drawn to the ‘woo’—the metaphysical, the intuitive, all that lives beyond rigid systems. Not every soul speaks this language. Some might not connect with my art and stories because of it, and that’s fine. This isn’t a phase. It’s the soil I was always rooted in. For too long, I feared it simply because it wasn’t the ‘norm.’ But deep down, I know that now. And I’m embracing it—with joy, with wonder, and without apology.

These are my stories to tell—if you don’t like what I have to say, just move along. I refuse to make myself smaller to make others feel more comfortable anymore.

Kind Regards,
Jackie Venus