Russell Lehmann – is a 23-year old poet and author who now wants to spread autism awareness through music and namely that of rap. Russell is on the autistic spectrum.
In 2011 he self-published “Inside Out: Stories and Poems from an Autistic Mind” that was read by celebrities including Miss New Jersey Brielle LaCosta. The book received an Honorable Mention at the New York Book Festival and earned the INAPA Award under the category of Literary Arts.
Russell did all the marketing for the book himself and has now decided to turn his attention to raising autism awareness through rap and has launched a Go Fund Me campaign in his quest to do so. Russell who is an avid blogger, also wrote about his reasons for setting up the campaign. He states in his blog, A New Journey Begins:
“For the last few months I have kept asking myself “What do I love?” and last week I firmly made the conclusion that music is what I love, specifically rap. I have found such a solace in it whenever I am going through a hard time and oftentimes I become naturally high from it. To be honest, Eminem and similar artists have kept me from ending my life multiple times. They gave me something to relate to, and I have decided that that is exactly what I want to be for others: hope. I have lived an excruciatingly hard life, suffering from not only autism, but severe depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), body dysmorphic disorder, borderline anorexia and bi-polar disorder. I have crawled through the depths of Hell and lingered in the valley of the shadows. It is time to share my story.”
Russell has started the fundraising campaign in order to buy the basic equipment that is needed to get things started for him.
Russell tells candidly on his Go Fund Me page:
“I want to let kids know that it is perfectly fine to be called different. I want the parents of kids who are struggling to see me and know that their kid can still follow their dreams no matter what hand life has dealt them. I want people to know that killing yourself is only cutting short your own happiness, because believe it or not life DOES get better. Most of all, I want to give a voice to every damn person on this earth who has gone unheard. I went through all my struggles for a reason, and I want to use my experiences to make a positive change in this brutal world.”
Russell’s goal is to become a rapper who, ‘generates mental health awareness and who will lead the fight to defeat stigmas for people of all types.’
Russell also wants to succeed as a writer and you can read his work over on his blog Plato’s Play-Doh
Rusell’s website can be found here
You can follow on twitter and Facebook
Russell’s Go Fund Me page can be found here
Autism Daily Newscast contacted Russell and will be publishing an interview with him shortly.