A Derbyshire Musician and owner of Needs More Cowbell has opened up about his time being homeless and the struggles he has faced with his mental health and being autistic.
Oscar Quick from Derby has worked on several projects over the years from promoting his music on BBC Introducing to organising a music festival called Soup fest to raise money for the homeless, as well as being the face of the University of Derby's Make It Real campaign.
However, the 23-year-old admits that before he was diagnosed with autism in his early 20s. His early adolescence years were a struggle as he would act out, get into fights, and even ditch school.
He said: "I hated myself and the world as nobody knew how to help. I went to several different schools and hated every minute of it, emergency services have also been called due to my actions."
According to Sense, a charity that supports people with complex disabilities highlighted that many autistic people experience daily "meltdowns" due to triggers such as changes in routine, breakdowns in communication or sensory overload.
As a result of Oscar not being able to control his actions his family removed him from the family home. At age 18, Oscar end up having to sofa surf at neighbours or friends before finding a place at a hostel in Cambridge for over a year.
Quick said: "This was the darkest period of my life. I got into a toxic relationship with someone in America, and I had to live in a room across from my school bully who made my life hell. That I was even terrified to leave my room."
He was only leaving to collect bare essentials until his mum came around to visit."My overall health suffered, so getting therapy, medication for my mental health and a diagnosis for my autism. Brought into perspective that it wasn't my fault. That I'm not a monster. I was just different and that's all it was."
To help others in a similar place or homeless, this year Quick organised a Soup Fest on May 18 on behalf of the University to support those in need with the use of local food banks, but also help to promote local bands.
Quick has plans in the works for another Soup Fest late next year. He hopes to host it at Dubrek Studios with a diverse line-up of bands, alongside working with several different organisations in Derby to help towards a good cause.
He said: "Anything to help someone on the street, provide a meal or a little something to make their life a bit better, especially with the cost-of-living crisis."
Figures from The National Autism Society stated that one in 100 people diagnosed is said to be on the autistic spectrum and share some characteristics and traits that affect how they communicate, experience, and interact with the world.
Autistic people have been reported to be great experts in their chosen field, often due to having a highly focused attention span – this being a musician and content creator for Oscar.
Nonetheless, he did say the music scene does come at a cost as musicians are required to attend gigs, network, and build their reputation to be taken seriously.
Oscar Quick said: "The noise and social pressures of being part of the music scene can be overwhelming at times, but I enjoy what I do and the people at places like Dubrek Studios.
"And despite being autistic and supposing to like routines. I'm quite a scatterbrain and a bit of a mess – but I know my limits.
He added: "Realistically I knew it wouldn't be possible for someone like me to work in the music industry unless I made it for myself."
Since then, he has released his first debuted post-punk album called weaponized soup on August 25. Worked with several people from the UK and globally as a journalist, alongside posting consistent videos on his YouTube channel that has gained over 13,157 views.
With plans to release his next debuted electronic post-punk album called Death for Discomfort in the coming year.
Oscar's best friend, Louis Cannon from Derbyshire, said: "Oscar knows his limits and his autism very well and knows when to take a break. He has gained so much knowledge about the professional music world these past few years. I often learn from him.
"It's Inspiring to see him accomplish so much in such a short time, his determination with his YouTube channel as well as his music has only motivated me to work on myself. I'm proud of him for never losing the drive to push himself.
The 21-year-old added: "But he struggles to schedule his workload and it leaves him very little room for himself. He isn't the greatest person I know when it comes to handling money, but he is getting slowly better at it."
Seven in ten people with autism or any other complex disability according to the National Centre for Social Research have shown that many autistic people struggle to make ends meet with less than £1,500 in savings to rely upon.
Oscar has even struggled to make ends meet himself. That his parents have even had to help him out with paying off his bills or managing his spending limits Oscar has admitted he has "bad impulse control issues when it comes to money, but is learning to know his limits".
To make a living Oscar receives like many others with autism or a complex disability a support allowance from Universal Credit. He has also found it difficult to get hold of any part-time or full-time role of employment, and only doing odd gigs as a sound engineer for Dubrek Studios.
He hopes to one day build a core following for his brand, Needs More Cowbell within the next ten years and to inspire enough people with his content and music. To make a living and a career from.
He said: "Some days I wish I wasn't autistic as it can be lonely and hard because my brain works differently than others. But at the same time, it has pushed me and my creativity as my work doesn't sound like anyone else's.
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