Renee Olson
- Jan 4
- 3 min read

The Crossroads Oracle - Accessibility in Art

One of the best days of my life occurred when I sold my first oracle deck. Someone thought so well of my creation they wanted to have it as their own. While I have created ritual and mundane jewelry and even constructed carved art pieces, this one was very different.

I read an article some years ago about how AI was making art more accessible for everyone, including Neurodivergent people. I started with pencil and charcoal drawing and then moved to digital art.

Last year, I read this article, and my mind was blown. I always heard of people who could hear color or see sound. I experienced that often, but since I could see and hear, I thought that this was some mental issue.

I tried over and over with tablets, computers, and tools to help me draw manually, and learning the tools and constantly seeing the lines switch back and forth made creating my deck very difficult. I worked for years, struggling to find the right images. My eyes could see the references, and my hands would draw the opposite. Much like my writing sometimes and why I rely so heavily on spell/grammar programs.

I longed so much to put the visions dancing in my head on the page. Nothing seemed to work as I wanted.

(my drawings and my charcoal)

Then, I found AI.

After working with understanding the language models and developing my own phrases my art blossomed. I was able to put together works of art that I had only seen in my head. I even started controversy when I depicted Hecate as a black woman. Needless to say, the community came to a standstill. I was accused of racism and destroying the image of both Hecate and the strong black woman by showing the goddess with dark skin and natural hair.

I persisted. I continued creating my art and using my images on memes for Facebook and Instagram. Showcasing that I felt was a strong part of the human, the energy source, the life that was within me and now, on canvas.

Here are a few of the images that I started with.

After varied success and a bit of courage, I decided to return to that oracle deck I'd been working on for so long that my creativity exploded.

As I wrote the words and worked with the backgrounds, I felt a release I had never experienced before. It was as if my soul was finally born. I was able to see those things that I wanted to create so desperately come to life before me. Sure, I had to go back in and change them, move this piece, update the faces and it took hours.

The first deck I sent to print was wrong, and I was devastated. My heart was broken. The printing was off; the card stock was off. I was so upset I turned to my circle and vented. Something I try not to do.

I wanted this deck, which started as a spark in my mind as I finished my Torchbearer ritual, to turn into this amazing collection with life, energy, and purpose. So back I went, rewording the cards, focusing on the images, reformatting the backgrounds, and off they went back to the printer.

They came back astonishingly beautiful. I was in love. The colors, the imagery. I could feel the virtues in the virtues card. I could connect with the lion and the horse. I could hear the soothing voice of Soteira in the cards. I had, indeed, been saved and nourished back to spiritual health by completing this deck.

Here are a few of the cards from the published deck that is available in my shop. I adore them.

This morning, I'm packing up that first order, and I have never felt so scared and happy in my life. I have had great feedback online on these images and hope to hear that so many more will see and feel the energy that went into these creations.

I know that many are against AI Art. I know I will have those who will attack me over it. These tools allow me to get out all the things I feel inside. I hope that one day, people will see this as no different than a cane that aids in walking or glasses that help with vision loss.

Here are a few more pieces I created for my neurodivergent collection. I hope you enjoy it.