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“It’s always nice watching other people being recognised for their hard work.” I recently got to experience that feeling myself when I was honoured with an award for the ACT Children’s Week. While I have often found joy in seeing others celebrated, being recognised for my own efforts, especially at just 17, was both exciting and humbling. As an autistic creator, it is often difficult for people to read me and see just how excited or proud I really am. I still have challenges

Nat and I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the ACT Jigsaw Puzzle Competition  at EPIC in Canberra, invited last minute to join this engaging and community-focused event. You can find more about the event here: ACT Jigsaw Puzzle Competition 2025 . It was a fantastic day, and one of the highlights was watching young Jack from Orana Steiner School  single-handedly win the schools competition. What an incredible achievement! Beyond the puzzles, the event provided a brillia

Anxiety Paralysis: Understanding the Silent Struggle Not many people have heard of anxiety paralysis. Yet, it affects many people living...

Life in a world not built for me 🌍 Being autistic in a world that wasn’t built for how my brain works can be tough. Simple tasks lead to...

Hosting Disability Pride Book Launch If someone had asked me a few years ago what my purpose in life was, I would have given a very different answer. I might have said something simple, something conventional, a parent, a partner, someone trying to navigate life as best as they could. I certainly never imagined that my purpose would emerge from supporting a child’s creativity, advocating for the neurodiverse community, and helping bring their vision to the world. Watching Na

From one simple dinner table conversation to a published children’s book, a website, bookstore shelves, and more, discover how Magbean!™ was created in just seven months. Follow autistic author and illustrator Nat’s journey of challenges, milestones, and joy in bringing You Can’t Rush Friendships to life.

When I first started writing You Can’t Rush Friendships , I thought I was creating a simple story for children about making friends. What I quickly realised was that Magbean had lessons for me too. Children often remind us of the things we forget in the rush of everyday life. Writing about Magbean and Magbroccoli showed me the value of patience, empathy, and growth, not only for kids but for all of us. Patience In the story, Magbean wants to be instant best friends with Magbr

by Nat Bannerman ⚠️ Content Warning: This post contains personal reflections on mental health challenges, including anxiety and suicidal...

Discover the story of Anna’s Beta Book, the early draft that shaped Magbean!™ and sparked a creative journey of kindness, diversity, and imagination.

As a mum, one of the most important things I’ve learned is that being true to yourself takes courage, and that’s something my child, Nat, has taught me in the most beautiful way. From the time Nat was little, I could see they experienced the world differently. School wasn’t always easy, friendships sometimes felt complicated, and there were moments where I worried about how others would see them. But alongside those challenges I also saw an incredible spark — a creative mind,

Today, I attended the Capital Food Market with my debut book, You Can’t Rush Friendships, which was recently launched. As an autistic...

When you’re a kid, you don’t usually have the language to describe who you are. You just know you’re trying to figure it out. Sometimes that’s a quick discovery, sometimes it’s a long, winding journey. For me, it was definitely the long kind. Over six years, I tried on more labels than most people in my life could keep up with. Each one felt right for a while...until it didn’t. But every step taught me something important about who I am today. Mum used to tell me that labels

I still can’t quite believe it, the Magbean!™ book launch actually happened, and it was more incredible than I ever could have imagined. Walking into that space and seeing it filled with love, support, and pride for the stories I’ve created was completely overwhelming in the best way. I’ve never felt more seen, accepted, or uplifted. Thank you to every single person who came along, cheered from afar, helped behind the scenes, or simply believed in me and this project. You’ve

In the lead-up to the print release of You Can’t Rush Friendships  through IngramSpark, I made what felt like a smart decision. I updated the publication date to 12 August to give us time to review proof copies and make any final tweaks. It felt careful, thoughtful, and aligned with our perfectionist hopes of getting everything just right. What I didn’t know was that this small change would temporarily remove the book from sale on Amazon, where it had already been available f

A Journey of Growth and Understanding You have been the greatest gift. Not just in the way all children are gifts, but in how you've opened my eyes to things I never truly understood. Through you, I’ve learned patience, resilience, compassion, empathy, strength, honesty, and so much more. Has it always been easy? No. Has it been worth it? Absolutely, without question. Embracing Change Together We’ve both had to grow, unlearn, and re-learn. I’ve watched you blossom from a quie

Nat and Shane share a joyful moment after Nat discovers a cherished drawing from the past. Neurodiverse children often struggle to communicate their needs in direct ways. Rather than explicitly asking for something, they may wait for it to happen, or drop subtle cues through their interests and conversations. These moments of chatter, often filled with talk about their favourite topics, can be their quiet way of reaching out. It’s almost like an unspoken plea for connection o

Creative Moment, Nat crafting a vibrant book page illustration on the computer screen. It’s hard to believe it’s been four months since we officially launched Zosimos Curra™, and only recently released You Can’t Rush Friendships , the first book in the Magbean!™  series. As we settle into this next chapter of sharing Nat’s work with the world, I’ve been reflecting on how it all started, the night this journey really began. It was February, and we were having dinner when Nat s

Nat sketching characters Who would have thought that just five years after my diagnosis, I’d be here; an artist, writer, and illustrator...

When I was little and feeling left out, uncertain, or like the odd bean out, Mum would always say: “Be yourself; everyone else is taken.” She said it whenever we were unsure about who we are. Honestly? It’s magic. The Challenge of Being Yourself Here’s the thing: Being yourself isn’t always easy. It can feel risky, especially when you don’t see anyone around you who thinks, moves, or feels the way you do. But Mum never wanted me to be anyone else. She never asked me to chang

Couldn’t Do It Without You: Meet the Magbean!™ Dream Team by Nat Bannerman Creating Magbean!™ has been a big journey, filled with...