Jessica Thom describes herself as an artist, writer, and part-time superhero. The website she started with collaborator Matthew Pountey, Touretteshero, just celebrated its tenth anniversary. Thom, who is based in the United Kingdom, talked with us on March 20, 2020, about her own work, her experience as a disabled artist working remotely, and ways she is engaging creatively during the the COVID-19 pandemic.

Office of VSA and Accessibility: Tell us about Touretteshero and how it began.

Jessica Thom: I started Touretteshero ten years ago as a creative response to my experience living with Tourettes. It began with a conversation with Matthew [Pountey]. My tics increased in my 20s and Matthew said not doing something creative with those tics would be wasteful. That notion really took root for me and was the starting point for Touretteshero.

Touretteshero uses Tourettes as a springboard for creativity, both our own and other people’s, by sharing a collection of tics online. I have shared over 6000 things I have said as tics, and it is a very diverse collection. They are uncensored, so we have a safe mode to remove any rude content if you so choose. The list of tics is there to be used as inspiration for others. Hundreds and hundreds of images have been made in response to the tics, as well as creative writing, even band names! So the tics are not wasted, but instead amplified and brought to life by other people’s energy. The connecting and sharing with other artists in that way has been immensely powerful.

Office of VSA and Accessibility: It is great that people can collaborate artistically from afar, which is so relevant right now given how many of us are staying home and looking for creative outlets.

Jessica Thom: The COVID-19 situation is revealing that the changes the disabled population has long been asking for are the sorts of changes that can happen quickly when there is a popular need. It shows that we need to make a world that is shaped for us all—not just those with normative experiences. Disabled people have been making art in hostile conditions for a long time. I’m used to my body mucking things up and requiring me to pull out of commitments so this is a familiar experience. Those types of happenings are necessary but upsetting.

Office of VSA and Accessibility: What are some ways you are connecting creatively right now?

Jessica Thom: How to do that is very individual; for me, it means writing when I want to write because that gives me a voice and a power, especially through social media. You can utilize the tools you have to get what you need and advocate for others.

My sister is a doctor and on front lines of what is happening, and she has a 3-year-old daughter. One of the things I did yesterday was write a social story for her 3-year-old so she could understand what was happening and why her mom is not available as she was previously. In lots of ways, that doesn’t seem like the biggest writing challenge, but it was an important way I could share my skills to help my family and share on Touretteshero for other families to use.

Office of VSA and Accessibility: Who are some other disabled artists that inspire you right now?

Jessica Thom: James Leadbitter, aka the vacuum cleaner, calls himself an art and activism collective of one. He is in the United Kingdom and works out of his home. One of his projects is called Madlove: a Designer Asylum, which brings together people with and without mental health experiences to create a space to “go mad.” I also like Shannon Finnegan and her Anti-Stairs Club project. She makes really funny, thoughtful work that doesn’t assume normative energy levels.

Office of VSA and Accessibility: Your performances of Samuel Beckett’s play Not I at the Under the Radar Festival in New York City in January were very well-received. What other artistic projects to you have going on right now?

Jessica Thom: Yes, we were in New York in January and had an amazing time. Not I is about a disembodied mouth that speaks really fast, and I claimed Mouth as a disabled character. It is an intense piece of theater and we made it accessible at every level. We had to go back to the stage directions and see how we could achieve them in a way that worked for me. We were true to Beckett’s original stage directions but just realized them in a different way than other productions. We were due to be on a tour of Not I in the United Kingdom now but that unfortunately cannot go ahead.

In February, we had a big 10^th birthday celebration for Touretteshero at Battersea Arts Centre. We had been working with them to make it a relaxed arts center, and relaxing the rules and norms and expectations is something we need to do now. If we are relaxed enough to allow things to change, we can be responsive to changing situations. There is going to be a lot of anxiety in changing communities right now. It is really important to keep looking outwards and look for ways to connect, and to give and receive solidarity.

Learn more about Jessica Thom and Touretteshero on their website, Facebook, and Twitter.