Conversations with Mica Dolan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mica Dolan.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started a TikTok page in May of 2021 after being hospitalized for three months. My whole life I had always had a passion for Disneyland and Disney movies. On my first visit to Disneyland since their reopening, I stumbled across these weighted stuffed animals Disney came out with to help people with autism, sensory conditions, anxiety, etc. I purchased a Mickey Mouse one, and as kind of a joke, I created a Tik Tok account just to keep myself busy. I posted videos of my day-to-day life with Mickey, I talked about my favorite Disney Movies, my favorite rides at the theme park and most importantly, I talked about how Disney helped me heal my inner child and helped me cope with my mental health. I quickly gained a following from other Disney lovers who also felt that the parks and movies were an escape from reality and could help them navigate their own mental health journeys.

In April of last year, my therapist and I began discussing what exactly I was missing from my mental health treatment. I had been in therapy since I was eight years old, and I constantly felt like the ways doctors treated my mental health didn’t seem to resonate. I felt stuck, confused and isolated, and I wrote out a list of things I felt my psychiatrists and therapists never discussed in treatment. After a few discussions, my therapist and I agreed that I needed to be evaluated for Autism. In July of 2022, I finally got my results, and after a tedious and extensive process, I was diagnosed with Autism and co-presenting ADHD by my school’s on campus neuropsychology team. After sharing the news on my Instagram and my Tik Tok, my community was quick to assure me that they knew or had always suspected this was the case, and that was why they resonated with me. I continued to talk about autism in women, audhd (autism + adhd) in women, and share my special interest in all things Disney, fantasy and magic. I did sensory reviews of Disneyland food, talked about my experience on rides, and how I made small talk with characters despite having social anxiety. Today I have 12k followers on Tik Tok and 1.4k on Instagram, mainly in the autistic Disney community and I’ve been able to connect with fans from all across the country and advocate for autistic women’s voices.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Being autistic comes with its own set of unique challenges and problems. But being an autistic content creator is extremely hard. Many autistic people, especially people and women that are diagnosed late, struggle with executive functioning skills and burnout. Meaning it can be hard for us to get out of bed, to find the motivation to get out of the house, go to crowded places, do our makeup/hair, etc. This makes it hard to constantly produce content. You need to be organized, extremely self-motivated, network and talk to strangers who also make content in our niche, attend loud and crowded events/places, respond to people’s dms and messages on your socials, etc.

I also created my account while I was in college. Meaning I had internships, a full load of classes and I worked at my school newspaper 2 days a week, all while trying to produce content, come up with creative ideas and make sure I was engaging with my community. I did it all because I loved it, I loved being able to resonate with people, to make them feel less alone in their mental health journey and share my passions with the world. But I was constantly burnt out, had several breakdowns weekly, and wasn’t taking care of myself. I wanted to be a straight A student, be the best intern, create content every day and make time for myself. But all of that is simply not possible, especially not for me and the way autism presents itself in my body so there were times when my schoolwork or my content suffered and I always felt like a failure for not doing everything perfectly 24/7.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
A lot of people don’t know what an autistic special interest is. A lot of people have interests or hobbies that they’re very invested in, It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re autistic so I like to explain an autistic special interest as the interests that make my brain completely zone in on them and no matter what anybody does or says, I will not pay attention as long as they’re on my brain. It’s like my brain shuts out the rest of the world and my thoughts are racing a million miles a minute, It’s all I can talk about, focus on or express any desire in for the time being.

I have a few special interests, Disney IP and Disneyland being one of them. I think the thing I’m most proud of however, is the fact I’ve been able to advocate for neurodivergent fans and let people know that adults, especially autistic ones, can have special interests, can enjoy things, and we don’t have to be seen as childish just because we’re passionate about movies, tv shows, books, animals, etc. I’m very proud of who I am, and I’m proud to be an autistic girl, I’m glad that I have passions and interests and that I haven’t just let myself be consumed with what society expects from me. And if I can convey that message to other autistic people, that’s what’s most important to me. I once had a woman come up to me at Disneyland to let me know she showed my TikToks to her special ed students and let them know they could have a life as fulfilling as mine. It really resonated with me and let me know that there are lots of autistic people who need to know there’s nothing wrong with having your interests, being excited about things and finding joy in things other people find “childish.”

What’s next?
Right now, my future is very unknown. I went to college for Communications and minored in TV, Film and Digital Media. Right now, I’m still on a job hunt, trying to find a place where I can use my social media skills to help create content for a company that values my talent and skills. However, a lot of companies don’t necessarily find autistic employees to be an asset. In America, around 85% of the autistic adult population is unemployed and abelism in the workforce is something I’ve unfortunately faced quite a lot. I know my worth and I know I’m extremely qualified for my field, it’s just a matter of time until a company takes a chance on me.

Right now, I’m just continuing to make my content, share my story with the world, and grow my knowledge and skill and maybe one day, I can make money off of doing what I love and make it my career.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micadolan/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/mickeyandmica