Can creating art "break the ice" - encouraging friendships?

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Activities like the arts allow participants to unite around concrete activities. This might just be favorable - as people on the Autism Spectrum tend to fixate on inanimate objects. In this case tools and materials applied in painting, drawing, sculpture, etc. etc. are well................concrete and inanimate.

In short fixations on inanimate objects may actually prove beneficial the arts - that's right, you read this correctly!!

The arts allow us to develop those overlooked parts of the brain - which might boost confidence within activities ripe for developing friendships.

Once more, that chance to boost opportunities in becoming acquainted with people experienced with healthy AS/NT dynamics - an awesome goal to achieve once the pandemic is brought under control!

Developing friendships in settings understanding of AS/NT relationships can also be favorable in setting the stage towards developing intimate relationships.

Any specific experiences?

My brain's currently a bit too fried to respond in detailright now. But I agree with your general point. I'm a musician, which is both a social and a technical art form. A lot of my social life has revolved around making music in one way or another- I'm more socially functional than usual when I have a guitar with me!

I agree. The really good friends I have I made through our love of artistic crafts. We all appreciate handmade woodwork and such.. We quilt, make clothes, make costumes, paint, sculpt clay, do baking crafts, build things together etc. Two of my friends are very adventurous with crafting, so if we see something cool we try our hand at it together.

It's fun. And I enjoy troubleshooting something new with a friend almost more than just "hanging out". Maybe because there's no need for idle chit chat. Most conversations are centered around ideas on the best way to go about a project or new project ideas. And even if we have a big fail it was still fun.

I also enjoy the quiet of sewing, quilting, knitting, or even coloring together. Even if we don't talk for a long time it's calming when me and best friend just create stuff together.

I don't know if that's what you're looking for. I haven't been in formal artist groups. These are just my personal experiences. I definitely believe enjoying the same art mediums helped me get to know the friends I have. We also learned to like new art media from each other, which broadened my experiences.

One simple thing I've found is that it's good for someone who's not good at starting conversations. With musicians, there's obvious starting points- what they were playing, what you were playing, what other people were playing... I'm guessing the same is true for an arts class. Not autism specifically, but I have a friend with severe depression who goes to sessions at a local mental health arts program- he's done both music and visual arts courses.

There are different types of art. When my daughters were young and in school, I encouraged them to be in plays, the performing arts. This is perhaps one of the best areas for an Aspie.

In the performing arts not everyone is an actor. There are many support people including directors, set design, musicians, sound/microphone people, costumes. There are many different talents or niches for a person to excel in. Including Aspies. And working together in a group brings these diverse talented people together and they form a strong bond and friendships that can endure for years to come.

I've found that having mutual interests only makes it more humiliating to be rejected by someone.

Aren't I a ray of sunshine LOL.

Thank-you for your responses! I'm so glad of the follow-through in this discussion thread; that is the arts can "offer
those icebreakers of sorts!"

I have not seen that encouraging follow-through in a thread (LINK) I initiated in the 'Social Skills & Making Friends Forum.' The discussion 'Reassessing AS/NT Friendships' mentions how the arts are favorable towards encouraging AS/NT friendships.

LINK: viewtopic.php?t=395386

Yes. A couple writer friends and myself decided to form a new writers group because the ones we've belonged to either broke up, or stopped meeting in person due to Covid. So, I invited a very promising younger writer from my old writers group to our new group, where we share our latest work with one another. He's since become buddies with all of us.

How many feel that lack of opportunities for organized arts-related programs (esp. with the pandemic postponing programs) are almost as much of a barrier in meeting new people, as the Autism Spectrum itself?

Just reassessed the responses in this discussion-thread. This discussion thread seems like a rarity - that is discussions as to how arts-related activities can "break the ice so to speak" in developing friendships.

I'm short of mentioning that active participation in the arts might transcend some of those difficulties with social interaction - hence that personal growth despite the Autism Spectrum!

From my own personal experiences, I've expressed interest in becoming acquainted with staff of arts programs. I think highly of awesome staff who want to devote their time in arts instruction for special needs adults (I think highly of people who want to encourage healthy AS/NT dynamics).

I've found that interactions with other participants in the arts programs generally remains as small-talk (this is very similar as to how I treat friendly NT environments). Anybody else have similar experiences?

Bumping-up discussion thread on how arts activities e.g., painting, sculpture, drawing might help "break the ice" so to speak!

Can discussion thread topic also be that "ice breaker" over the holidays?