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I know there are artist folks who have ADD (or ADHD) and struggle with it, and I wanted to give you the perspective of a happy full-time artist whose every moment is defined by it, but not in a bad way. 1/
So to give you a quick overview of how my brain works:
When I was younger, my dad might say "hey, Chris, did you chop the firewood?" and I& #39;d say "what kind of dog is Eddie on Frasier?" 2/
When I was younger, my dad might say "hey, Chris, did you chop the firewood?" and I& #39;d say "what kind of dog is Eddie on Frasier?" 2/
My dad, or anyone, might take this as me not listening or something. But I was listening. In my mind: firewood=chimney=santa=christmas=boar& #39;s head madrigal=battle beast with a boar head=playing with battle beasts in the tub=being in water=swimming=hanging from diving... 3/
...board=finger muscles=rock climbing=cliffs=Cliff from "Cheers"=Cheers=Frasier=Eddie the Dog.
In my head, this was the next logical thing to say. Happens in less than a second. 4/
In my head, this was the next logical thing to say. Happens in less than a second. 4/
Eventually, over time, I learned to backtrack - getting to Eddie the Dog, realizing I was off-track, and tracing back through the same route of subjects until I got to the starting point, at which time I could answer the person& #39;s question without seeming like a weirdo. 5/
So this slows me up from being witty (I& #39;m not, and never will be), but while it was a hindrance in conversations, it& #39;s a boon when it comes to finding connections between seemingly unconnected things, because your/my mind is constantly making connections that shouldn& #39;t exist. 6/
As you get older, it becomes easier to no-whammy-no-whammy-STOP when one of those connections makes sense. So it& #39;s great for problem solving.
It also makes it easier to process how one thing affects another, or at least does for me, because you& #39;re used to trying to tie these...
It also makes it easier to process how one thing affects another, or at least does for me, because you& #39;re used to trying to tie these...
...multiple threads together at the same time.
With comics, with narratives, this can be really helpful - if I move this line, then all of these other things will be affected thusly (it& #39;s why I hate after the fact editing, because if the size of the word block changes even...
With comics, with narratives, this can be really helpful - if I move this line, then all of these other things will be affected thusly (it& #39;s why I hate after the fact editing, because if the size of the word block changes even...
...a little then I end up redrawing substantial parts of the panel). It helps you immediately spot the narrative problems that will manifest when one part of the narrative changes. And because I& #39;m always tracing my thoughtlines, I& #39;m conditioned to look for causality... 9/
...which can be really helpful when studying history, etc. Anyway, learning to compensate for atypical ways my brain behaves has led to what I would consider skill sets that absolutely benefit the work that I do. ADD is not in itself a hindrance.
BUT it can certainly be one. 10/
BUT it can certainly be one. 10/
When I have a deadline tight enough that I can only do one project, it& #39;s very difficult. I get to the point where (unless I& #39;m at a mostly autopilot stage like inking or coloring) it becomes extremely hard to focus, and attempts to do so just make the project drag longer. 11/
If I& #39;m in a production meeting, or, when I was teaching, an adminsitrative one, it& #39;s very easy to drift off unless we& #39;re focusing directly on planning specific things or solving specific problems. 12/
So here are some things that have helped me, a lot:
• my spouse/partner is generally patient with me and is willing to repeat things, or sometimes asks me to repeat what she& #39;s said if it& #39;s important, because often I& #39;ll miss stuff (she can usually tell). Talk to your partner...
• my spouse/partner is generally patient with me and is willing to repeat things, or sometimes asks me to repeat what she& #39;s said if it& #39;s important, because often I& #39;ll miss stuff (she can usually tell). Talk to your partner...
...about how your brain works, or doesn& #39;t work, and talk about possible ways to insure that communication isn& #39;t lost when you& #39;re not at your best.
-Don& #39;t get defensive when your partner calls you on you inattention, they deserve your attention.
- Don& #39;t use their...
-Don& #39;t get defensive when your partner calls you on you inattention, they deserve your attention.
- Don& #39;t use their...
...understanding as an excuse to not pay attention/read/check your phone/etc.
• PLAN AHEAD. I do best when I can move back and forth between multiple projects. If I find myself stalling on one, I move to another. If you know it& #39;s going to take you five weeks to... 15/
• PLAN AHEAD. I do best when I can move back and forth between multiple projects. If I find myself stalling on one, I move to another. If you know it& #39;s going to take you five weeks to... 15/
...do a project, start it eight weeks out from when you want to get it done, and intersperse it with others. If you& #39;re in control of your output and have agency in scheduling it, this is a HUGE benefit. 16/
• Find things that can occupy you while you work but that don& #39;t hinder the work. I listen to movie scores when writing, audiobooks while penciling, and I "watch" tv on a side monitor while inking and coloring. Without these focus points, I often end up just sitting/thinking. 17/
• To this same effect, I draw anytime I& #39;m supposed to be paying attention. I draw in church choir. I draw in meetings. I draw when at a family gathering. Doing one thing with my hands allows me to focus my brain on what& #39;s happening. 18/
You& #39;ll find things that help you as you get older and more conditioned to things, and aware that you need to accomodate yourself. I& #39;m a sprinter - I can focus intently and get a ton done in a limited amount of time, but only FOR a limited amount of time. So I plan for that. 19/
I drink a good amount of coffee in the morning - the closest thing to self-medication I do. When I& #39;m hitting a wall on story things I look for country roads that I& #39;ve never been on and drive for a while, stimulate different parts of my brain. You find what helps you. 20/
Anyway, my point with all of this is that, excepting being angry and upset over the state of the world, I& #39;m INCREDIBLY happy and very productive and I feel like my ADD is a benefit to me in my circumstances. If you& #39;re struggling now that doesn& #39;t mean you always will be. 21/end
