I'm a neurodivergent, asocial person. Always have been. Though i still have had a few friends during my life. I managed to get by for a while with just the 2-3 people I talk to, but recently I've started to get really lonely. The way i've made friends in the past has been someone approaching me, not the other way around though. I don't know how to make friends/acquaintances with other people on my own. Me growing up with the internet probably played a role in my lack of real life social skills, i'm guessing

  • aebletrae [she/her]
    ·
    1 month ago

    Are there any art or maker groups in your area? If you can get to one (or more) of those, there are going to be people who will fall over themselves to talk to you if you just ask them about what they've made.

    People love when someone shows an interest. You don't need to know anything (or pretend to know anything) beforehand, and the same few questions/prompts can be reused: from a vague "tell me about [the thing you made], to "what was the hardest part?", "how did you do this bit?", "did you learn anything cool along the way?", "what do you think you'll make next?" So long as your interest is genuine and you actually listen to what they say, you can't really mess things up.

    And if you want to make anything yourself, regardless of your current abilities, such groups tend to be quite nurturing, where someone will show an interest in you too. Art in particular is an expressive pursuit that attracts lefty weirdos. The desire to connect with people is right there for you to be a part of.