Nice to Meet You Here’s a little story about me that has drastically impacted my creative path. Not so long ago I found out that I had ADHD. It was both a shock and a relief. I dived into learning about the condition; I read some hefty books about myself (strangely, they never mentioned my name while describing my life in every little detail), I read even more articles, devoured tons of audio content about ADHD – and all this time I was drawing. I realized, this is how I process the world and my specific perception of it, this is how I help myself understand myself, calm my mind down, come to terms with losses and find new strength to go on, stay safe and be happy. Drawing has become my main mindfulness tool, my magic wand. And because it was such a private, intimate process I didn’t rush to share it but when I finally did – I was flabbergasted by reaction as I didn’t expect people to relate so much. “I had to see it today”, “It made my day”, “this is so ADHD and it made me feel seen”… - comments like these first really bewildered me. I then realized, I myself react quite similar to beautiful pieces by other artists (in any field), so could I be the same inspiration for others? My education is not in art field, and this single fact made me doubt for too long, despite numerous art courses, self-education and years of practice. And this is another source of inspiration for myself and others – you can follow your inclinations, develop your gifts and let them out in the world – and you will inspire someone else who doubt themselves to change their life for better.
Cutlery Curiosities
A peculiar feature for neurodiverse folks - to favour particular little details and reject other particular little details completely. Even being a coffee maniac, I’ll have to skip a much desired drink if it’s in a wrong shaped cup. It just won’t taste right to me. The most delicious coffee will taste like an instant drink just because of “the wrong cup”. Same with the cutlery. Oh, and we don’t like sharing those, too. My children know that they shouldn’t touch the cutlery from my “personal cutlery collection”, it’s a taboo. But knowing this helps me accept myself and plan better, even if it sometimes means skipping a meal or traveling with my own cutlery.
A T-REX Hand Syndrom
The very first sign of ADHD I noticed in myself after starting to suspect it, was a so called “T-Rex claw” hand, that is when your wrists bend inwards, arms curled like a T-Rex, usually in sleep but it also happens during daytime. It’s more anecdote at this point because science can not explain it, although it’s common among the ADHD and autism communities. Probably it’s one of subconscious comfort mechanism, an attempt to create a safe cocoon, a safe cave after a day of all the sensory challenges. They even sell soft wrist bracelets to help hands stay in a more relaxed position as, apparently, this weird habit can lead to developing carpal tunnel syndrome, nerve compression, or stiffness. What a lovely little cherry on top of the AuDHD pie! I now am thinking of making myself such wrist bracelets; of course I got excited – another cute little project I could embark on – and a useful one! Good job I now stay well aware of how this excitement might go – missing. It will simply go missing from my agenda as it’s ever so full with billions of other projects, all equally exciting and promising. And I will truly miss this idea as another way to express myself and create something new. #adhdawareness #adhd #adhdwomen #linedrawing