For Women with ADHD ADD Who Want to Connect
Are you an artist with ADHD?
I have often felt that a lot of people that I have met who have ADHD are very artistic. I am not talking about just being able to draw or paint, I am talking being able to sew, cook like a chef, scrapbook, decorate your house, be a photographer, being a performing artist (or drama queen lol) or something like that. Is that the case with those who are here? Are you artistic in some way as well? If you are...tell us what your talent is.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on -
Cindra, I believe you have hit the nail on the head. I, too, believe a lot of artistic people are either ADD or have a lot of ADD tendencies. Ever since I was a little kid, I enjoyed being creative in as many ways as possible. I have pretty much tried as many crafts as there are out there. When I got a chance to go to college, I started out as a paralegal because of the pay. I was single, had three kids and a dog to feed. But, after a year and a half, I realized I missed being creative, so I transferred schools and went for a degree in Apparel, Textiles & Design. It was a perfect fit. Being I had taught myself to sew as a kid always designing clothes for myself, etc. I loved it. Anytime, I wanted or had to create something -- that is where I'd run into the problem of hyper-focusing. I'd be so into whatever I was doing, it was hard to stop and eat or even sleep. It eventually took a toll on my health because as I said I also had three children to attend to. Thinking back on it, they learned to do a lot of things on their own such as cooking or laundry, which wasn't bad because now as adults, they know how to keep a house. Well...I guess I am babbling here and kind of got off track. But, I do agree with you about most ADD folks having an innate ability to be creative. It could be because we beat to a different drum and we have had to be creative to fit in or figuring out coping skills.
Jo Ellen
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Permalink Reply by Cindra on -
Me too. Same thing. That, and I didn't fit well into the normal types of jobs. I've tried about everything out there artistically as well. I went to school for web and graphic design...but due to poor money management I was 1 semester shy of a bachelor's degree...and ya can't get a good job in design without that, so I resorted to chainsaw carving. LOL. I've been doing that for almost 5 years...but am burnt out on that now and looking for the next new thing to try. :) Any suggestions??? :) Cindy
Jo Ellen said:Cindra, I believe you have hit the nail on the head. I, too, believe a lot of artistic people are either ADD or have a lot of ADD tendencies. Ever since I was a little kid, I enjoyed being creative in as many ways as possible. I have pretty much tried as many crafts as there are out there. When I got a chance to go to college, I started out as a paralegal because of the pay. I was single, had three kids and a dog to feed. But, after a year and a half, I realized I missed being creative, so I transferred schools and went for a degree in Apparel, Textiles & Design. It was a perfect fit. Being I had taught myself to sew as a kid always designing clothes for myself, etc. I loved it. Anytime, I wanted or had to create something -- that is where I'd run into the problem of hyper-focusing. I'd be so into whatever I was doing, it was hard to stop and eat or even sleep. It eventually took a toll on my health because as I said I also had three children to attend to. Thinking back on it, they learned to do a lot of things on their own such as cooking or laundry, which wasn't bad because now as adults, they know how to keep a house. Well...I guess I am babbling here and kind of got off track. But, I do agree with you about most ADD folks having an innate ability to be creative. It could be because we beat to a different drum and we have had to be creative to fit in or figuring out coping skills.
Jo Ellen
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Permalink Reply by jean on -
Hello i feel im very creative different and weird to other people
i also seem to waste more like if im painting i use all the paint ect.
glad i found this sight i am happy to fit in finally somewhere.
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Permalink Reply by Andrea Jean on -
Cindra, I too am tapped into creativity. Anything involving music, photography...anything art related, I'm into. It's like therapy. My boyfriend is ADHD and is a musical genius. When I'm not doing something where I'm being creative, I'm not as happy and get bored easily.
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Permalink Reply by devilsapricot on -
It's always been a battle in me between visual art and writing. Even my english and art teachers in highschool argued over which I should do in university. So, yeah, I make stuff and I write stuff. I usd to draw and paint, but I use photoshop now coz I'm lazy. I also ran an arts council for almost 10 years.
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Permalink Reply by jo elleman on
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I am also one of those eccentric artistic people. I have been told I am extremely left-brained, but when I asked my doctor if perhaps this was my problem instead of ADD, he looked horrified that I would question his diagnosis. I anjoy painting trompe l'oeul murals, although I take forever as I am a perfectionist. When painting still lifes in college where I majored in Fine Arts, I would hyperfocus until the fruit rotted, listening to instrumental "Tubular Bells" and forgetting to eat or sleep. It is an extreme challenge to raise kids at the same time, so I have cut way back on art, but notice the need for a creative outlet. I have been managing to produce some mosaic artwork I am very proud of, and I continually devise unique methods, techniques, incorporate new and unnusual materials, etc., until I finally run out of new ideas, and find myself, (as you mentioned, Cyndra) burned out and looking for a new medium. Is this also a common trait with us ADDers?
devilsapricot said:It's always been a battle in me between visual art and writing. Even my english and art teachers in highschool argued over which I should do in university. So, yeah, I make stuff and I write stuff. I usd to draw and paint, but I use photoshop now coz I'm lazy. I also ran an arts council for almost 10 years.
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Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on
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Jo Ellenman: You can't be 'extremely left-brained' if you pursue the artistic endeavors you have mentioned. Maybe you meant 'extremely right-brained'. Left-brained people are logical, organized, in to details and usually get math. Right-brained people are more creative and express themselves through some sort of artistic ways. My thoughts are: being we have both a left & right brain, some people have various degrees of which way they lean. Plus, most school curriculums are left-brained based. Those of us who are more right brained struggle with things like logic and math. BTW, I'd love to see some of your mosaic work. I always wanted to try it. In fact, I saw a show where this lady took a bowling ball and glued these glass tiles on it. She then grouted it. She put it on a base and placed it in her garden. I ordered a couple of bags of tile; each bag contained 100 pieces. I got a bowling ball, but when I received the two bags of glass tile, I could tell it wasn't going to be enough. It got put in my someday pile and my husband felt the need to get rid of my bowling ball.
Jo Ellen
jo elleman said:I am also one of those eccentric artistic people. I have been told I am extremely left-brained,
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Permalink Reply by jo elleman on
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Sorry, Jo Ellen. I get confused about which side of the brain is proficient at creative skills. Anyway, I will try to figure out how I can post some pictures of some of my work.
Jo Ellen said:Jo Ellenman: You can't be 'extremely left-brained' if you pursue the artistic endeavors you have mentioned. Maybe you meant 'extremely right-brained'. Left-brained people are logical, organized, in to details and usually get math. Right-brained people are more creative and express themselves through some sort of artistic ways. My thoughts are: being we have both a left & right brain, some people have various degrees of which way they lean. Plus, most school curriculums are left-brained based. Those of us who are more right brained struggle with things like logic and math. BTW, I'd love to see some of your mosaic work. I always wanted to try it. In fact, I saw a show where this lady took a bowling ball and glued these glass tiles on it. She then grouted it. She put it on a base and placed it in her garden. I ordered a couple of bags of tile; each bag contained 100 pieces. I got a bowling ball, but when I received the two bags of glass tile, I could tell it wasn't going to be enough. It got put in my someday pile and my husband felt the need to get rid of my bowling ball.
Jo Ellen
jo elleman said:I am also one of those eccentric artistic people. I have been told I am extremely left-brained,
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Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on
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Great! Look forward to see you mosaics. Maybe if you contacted Tara or Terry, there maybe a place to post pictures. It would be nice to see some of the other stuff the artists in our group do. I know there is a way to upload a file. Maybe I will try it.
Jo Ellen let's see if a couple of pictures of some drums I made.
jo elleman said:Sorry, Jo Ellen. I get confused about which side of the brain is proficient at creative skills. Anyway, I will try to figure out how I can post some pictures of some of my work.
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Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on
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Hey, I think it worked. Let me know if the pictures show up and you can see them.
Jo Ellen said:Great! Look forward to see you mosaics. Maybe if you contacted Tara or Terry, there maybe a place to post pictures. It would be nice to see some of the other stuff the artists in our group do. I know there is a way to upload a file. Maybe I will try it.
Jo Ellen let's see if a couple of pictures of some drums I made.
jo elleman said:Sorry, Jo Ellen. I get confused about which side of the brain is proficient at creative skills. Anyway, I will try to figure out how I can post some pictures of some of my work.
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Permalink Reply by Jessica on -
I think that I am more "whole-brained" and equally adept at both modes of thinking. I have always excelled in both match and science and I have a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. However, unlike a majority of the other people I went to college with (geeks, nerds, science kids, etc.), I've also always been extremely creative and artistic. I love creative writing, design and fashion, artistic projects, cooking, photography, ... the list goes on and on. I think maybe just inherited intelligence causes me to display more "left-brained" traits while having ADHD causes me to display more "right-brained' traits. Although, as I think about it more, maybe I'm not as naturally "whole-brained" as I first though when starting this reply .... my "left-brained" traits/modes of thinking may be attributed to just being smart .... but alternatively, they might just be products of learning and acquiring effective coping skills for managing my ADHD as it went undiagnosed for the first 20 years of my life? Hrm?
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Permalink Reply by Jo Ellen on
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Any Engineering is basically creative. The hard part for most right-brainers is the math & science part, which involves memorization. As I said before, we all have a left & right sides of a brain, unless you've had a lumbotomy. In order to get thorough the day, we have to be able to use either or both sides depending on the type of demand. For some it is easier to switch back & forth between the two. For others, our strengths may lie with one more than the other. I am sure it has a lot to do with balance of the chemistry of the brain as a whole, but also the environment in which we grow up in, the type of schools we attended and how easily it was for anyone of us given the opportunity to use both sides.
Jo Ellen
JessicaLynn said:I think that I am more "whole-brained" and equally adept at both modes of thinking. I have always excelled in both match and science and I have a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering.
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