Does ADHD Fuel Creativity? The Surprising Link You Need to Know...
Could expressing creativity be important to help build and maintain self-esteem for ADHDers?
Dr. Oliver Sacks, the elder statesman for people with neurological differences, has suggested that different brain chemistry might be a requirement for creativity. And one of the world’s top neuroscientists, Dr. Richard Silberstein, has even published a brilliant paper drawing a direct and positive correlation between ADHD and creativity.
Similarly, many of the people who shared their stories for me to publish here at Hunters in a Farmer’s World said that expressing their creativity was an important part of their lives and helped with building and maintaining their self-esteem.
From Nancy in Detroit:
I’ve known since I was in kindergarten, and maybe even before then, that I’m an artist. It was in kindergarten, though, that I first encountered paints, and understood, solidly and down in my soul, that painting and unusual expressions are essential to me.
So I paint, and I’ve been painting for years. I’m pretty good at it by now, and have even made a small living over the years at it.
The point of this as an ADHD success story, though, is the impact that painting has on the rest of my life. During those times when I’m not painting for more than a few weeks at a time, I find that I become very distractible, spaced-out, and irritable. My fuse gets short and I snap at people. I’m unhappy.
It wasn’t until I was in my late twenties with two children that I understood this correlation between my painting and my moods and mental abilities. I’d been so busy being a mom that I’d given up painting for almost a year, and my life was going down in flames. So my husband suggested I start painting again, thinking that it would take my mind off my problems with our kids (who both have ADHD, too).
It was amazing to me that when I started painting again, the old me came back out. I felt like a door had been opened inside me, and, as my creative juices were flowing, so was every other part of my life.
I don’t know how many other ADHD people consider themselves creative, or if there’s a connection between creativity and ADHD, but I can tell you that for this ADHD woman, expressing my creativity several times a week is the best therapy I’ve found.
Norman in Denver writes:
I like to write. I’ve never had anything published, but I’ve been writing since I was a teenager. First it was poetry, and nowadays I’m writing science fiction more than anything else.
I also write long letters to people, and, for a couple of years, used to keep a journal (very sporadically!).
The point of this is that I think that the writing is a good focusing exercise for me.
I set up specific goals for my writing—such as today I’m going to write the scene where the Kurians take over the planet—and then make myself stick to those goals. Because I’m doing it just for me, I don’t get in a sweat about it, and while I don’t always hit my goals, I’ve gotten pretty good at it.
Writing feels good for me, and when I’m doing it there’s a certain “flow” feeling that I get. Over the years, this has become an anchor for me, a feeling that I like to get from my writing. And when I’m in other situations, like at work or when I’m in an intense conversation with my girlfriend, I’ll sometimes pause and click back to that flow feeling, and bring it into the situation when I need some extra strength or creativity.
I don’t know how to describe how I do this other than to say that I just do it; it’s not quite visualization, but I’m able to hook into that feeling
Most of my friends who are ADHD are also pretty creative people, from what I can tell, although I don’t think any of them have developed the discipline that I have to write every week. I think it would be a good habit for them, though. I view it as mental weightlifting: I’m strengthening the muscle of my brain, the same as people who pump iron a few times a week strengthen their biceps.
Art has been a significant outlet for the members of my family who likely had ADHD, particularly my sister, who tragically passed away at the age of 42. However, music has been the more prevalent outlet for those in our family who seem to have the gene. Singing, playing instruments, DJing, and creating and sharing music have been the more common outlets for our family members with ADHD.
Another creative outlet for our family members with ADHD is the restoration and repair of items that others might consider garbage. In our society, these pursuits are often relegated to hobbies. At the same time, the majority of our time is spent in jobs that are perceived as torturous due to their repetitive nature, which can be particularly challenging for individuals with ADHD. Most jobs don't allow for variation, even if an idea to improve the work or result is suggested. This was a challenge I faced in my early career in nursing and as a waitress and messenger at a newspaper.
Most people wouldn't view being an automobile mechanic as a creative career, and it isn't for many who call themselves mechanics. My brother, an auto mechanic who tried to support his family with an auto repair shop, explained to me the difference between a "parts changer" who keeps changing parts until the car may function and overcharging the customer and an honest mechanic who diagnoses the problem through a combination of experience and the use of diagnostic equipment. My brother gained much satisfaction from solving the problem when he diagnosed and repaired it for much less than the customer expected. What could have been a disaster for a family due to losing the vehicle that enabled a poor person to get to their job or look for work was miraculously averted. Few sensations are more horrifying for a poor working person than turning the key in the ignition and the car not starting or quitting on the way to the essential job, although there is gas in the tank.
My brother, a talented auto mechanic, died in his sleep at the age of 48 after his landlord illegally stole his diagnostic equipment. The autopsy revealed no cause except for a slightly enlarged heart. After so many middle-aged men died in Japan after their prolonged recession, they found a condition they called 'broken heart syndrome,' where the person dies suddenly after a job loss or financial setback. I believe that's what killed my brother. A judge ruled that his property be returned to his teenage son two years after his death. My brother had found a way to be an ADHDer and earn a living; if only a greedy, jealous, wealthy man had left him alone. I have a tape of his music that his children's mother gave me after he died.
Medicine and nursing are creative arts, and they can be quite satisfying when done with the patient's best interests in mind rather than within the limits imposed by the for-profit healthcare system. Not being able to use one's knowledge and experience in the healing arts is now referred to as 'moral injury,' a term used to describe the psychological distress that occurs when one's actions or inactions violate one's moral or ethical code. This 'moral injury' is causing 'burnout' and many to leave the professions. I have worked with enough doctors to guess that many are ADHDers who survived school.
Another profession commonly thought to be a science is economics. Economics is an art despite the math, statistics, graphs, and charts, and it could be valuable for society if not for opportunistic professionals catering to the wealthy. They distort the overall picture to create a narrative that causes people to vote against their best interests. To think of it, being a grifter and a con man is a highly creative endeavor. I wonder if it is associated with ADHD.
I believe that ADHD is much more prevalent than diagnosed because ADHD is associated with intelligence, and due to the likely creativity also related to ADHD, many with these characteristics manage to survive and even thrive. But many don't survive in this society because we value conformity more than life's intrinsic value, at least for the working class. The societal challenges faced by individuals with ADHD are often overlooked, but they are very real and need our understanding and support.
I became hyper focused as a child on airplanes. I started building models at about the age of eight. By twelve I was building ones that flew from balsa wood. At fourteen I was building ones of my own design.
My school work suffered. I was diagnosed at ten as ADHD/gifted. My gifts did not shine unless I was truly interested in things. That fascination with planes led me to a career in aerospace engineering. It was a long and rocky road academically. I struggled with a lot of the math. I shined in Computer Aided Design. I wound up teaching vocational education on the subject. ADHD helped me present it enthusiastically and eloquently. I thrived on having an audience. It was fleeting, and I miss the audience. It ended after I was fired for complaining about the school's unethical and predatory recruiting.
I am certain my ADHD contributed to my creativity in mechanical design, along with the math and physics that made my stull actually Work. My giftedness made some coworkers feel threatened by me was a down side. I didn't try to mask my gifts. It caused resentment in the workplace.
Now retired I have turned to writing. (Can you tell?) I am still fascinated with model making, but do not participate much anymore. I used to compete with them, but had trouble with others involved in the hobby/sport who are mostly very right leaning politically. I have been called a 'radical left winger' because I long for the democratic party of FDR. (I was raised by FDR democrats.)
Now I am planning to do extensive bicycle touring and intend to photo and video journal my travels, with an emphasis on environment.