Creative Links: Exploring Neurodiversity and Creativity

Join our panel of creatives -  jewellery designers Henrike Altes, Charlotte Garnett, Matilde Mozzanega and Mark Newman, alongside writer and lecturer Dr. Lania Knight – as they explore how neurodivergence and creativity are linked. Discover ways in which divergent thinking can be factored into the design and making process and how it might lead to innovation. Find out how jewellery can be designed to support mental wellbeing through sensory engagement and the use of meaningful materials, as well as serving as a tool for self-expression. This conversation highlights the value of neurodiverse experiences and advocates for more inclusive spaces within creative fields.

At the beginning of the event there will be the opportunity to network and talk to peers, and at the conclusion of the conversation the panellists will be pleased to answer your questions.

Henrike Altes, born in 1978 in Lüdenscheid, Germany, is a Contemporary jewellery Designer based in Aachen. In 2020, she graduated from the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts and Design (now Maastricht Academy of Arts) with a Master‘s degree.

Designing jewellery is Henrike’s way of sharing her personal story, she believes that her emotions and thoughts can be relevant to others. Her work tells the story of her own struggle with pressure and how this same struggle offers the strength of loosening the need for perfection. During her long search for this strengthening force, she translates her emotions into her work, which is a healing process for her. Addressing her fears her intrinsic desire to help others, Henrike creates jewellery that adorns, communicates and empowers. Her memories, both positive and negative, are her inspiration and are an essential part of her story, leading to an honesty that is the true core of her jewellery.

Charlotte Garnett, known as The Anti-Anxiety Jeweller, is a British designer and maker, creating tactile contemporary jewellery pieces to calm the mind and satisfy anxious fingers.

Charlotte works autobiographically, drawing upon her own experiences of neurodivergence. Infusing therapeutic kinetic practices with luxurious visual style, she creates minimalist designs for mindfulness on the go. Charlotte pushes the boundaries of traditional jewellery by creating pieces whose value extends beyond their beauty as deeply personal self- help totems. A Charlotte Garnett piece is to be used intuitively and worn proudly.

She has raised over £10k for mental health charities with her designs, and is an ambassador of the Salvesen Mindroom Centre, working to destigmatise, celebrate and spread awareness for all aspects of neurodivergence.

Dr Lania Knight lectures in Creative Writing at The Open University, and her research interests include creativity and neurodivergence. Knight writes poetry, fiction and nonfiction, and she is currently working on a neurodivergent-friendly, sensory-oriented creative handbook. Originally from New Orleans, she now lives in Cumbria. Read more about her at www.laniaknight.com.

Matilde Mozzanega is a Milanese jewellery designer whose eponymous label, founded in 2022, explores the intersection of jewellery with wellness, healing and self-care. Her talismanic pieces, crafted using intuitive chromotherapy and crystal therapy principles, are rooted in daily rituals and self-care.

A Central Saint Martins graduate and Sarabande Foundation alumni, Matilde’s work has been exhibited internationally and recognised for its unique blend of craft and wellbeing. She is also a jewellery tutor and workshop facilitator, with a passion for sharing her knowledge and fostering creativity as a tool for personal healing.

Mark Newman is an Irish-born contemporary fine jeweller based in Glasgow and a graduate of the Birmingham School of Jewellery. Their work combines traditional goldsmithing with digital aesthetics and reimagined historical forms.

Living with dyslexia and aphantasia, a neurological difference that means they cannot form mental images, Mark has developed a non-visual design process shaped by research into neuroscience. Rather than visualising or sketching ideas, they use mathematical ratios and structured logic, drawing on principles of pattern recognition, visual hierarchy, and aesthetics to build each piece.

Working primarily in 18ct gold with pixelated gemstones, Mark’s jewellery often revisits symbols like the signet ring, blending intricate craftsmanship with a modern visual language. Their pieces are precise, considered, and created to prompt engagement, inviting the wearer to reflect on the historical context of the jewellery they choose to carry with them.