ADHD and artists

[Pilgrim1099]

Hello,

I used to be able to have hyper-focus years ago in my teen years doing artwork easily without any distraction but as time went by, it got more difficult somewhat when some of the passion started burning out a bit. It was quite challenging, back in the day, to focus on my art being distracted by personal issues despite the fact that I'm deaf.

I came close to dropping out of art school in the mid-1990s but held onto it and graduated.

Now, years later, I did some research on ADHD and realized that I used to 'space out' a lot (and still do time to time) and had a hard time concentrating. That can still be an issue these days for me and I find this quite debilitating to my career as I'm trying to get it jump-started, after having moved around so much in the last several years from Ohio and to VT and trying to figure out what direction to take.

I've tried art therapy and it does'nt do much for me because the therapist seems to be, to be blunt, talking out of her a$$. The problem is that I was'nt diagnosed with ADHD and never have been, nor was it actually detected over the years. I suspect I probably have but can't officially say it until evaluation.

If I had a time machine and turn back the clock, I would go back to my art school days and 'fix' that problem, so that I could have a much better head start and impression on others. But I can't.

And besides, living up here in VT, I can't seem to find the actual support network for this kind of thing for professional creatives.

Has any professional illustrator here ever had any issues with ADHD that kind of burns you out to the point where you can't simply sit there and do the work, or have to be 'stimulated' to be creative? It is so incredibly frustrating that I'm at this age where I should be already established professionally but seem feel like I'm suppressed into doing little jobs that get nowhere as I'm trying to re-build my skills from scratch or improve on my techniques a bit more by doing more digital works. I also need to beef up on my marketing somehow but avoid the shady 'on spec' clients. But I have always, always drawn on my moleskine sketchbook everyday whenever I hit the coffeehouse, or whenever I hang out at the nightclubs up north to get away from the house of silence.

I do fence three times a week at class since it's a physical sport and allows me to learn how sword play works with the blade. Incredibly addictive. And then there's this stupid social services day job that I wasted 2 years on with a client that demands my attention when my attention should be on portfolio building and other clientele relating to my field. I got manipulated into getting hired in this job 3 years ago which the employer doe'snt provide insurance for a part-timer like me and that really bothers me.

It's like I'm almost lost in where I want to go in direction. I want to do some Ateliers work, but I can't afford it these days since I got out of homelessness 3 years ago and am trying to turn things around to get my life back.

[hunchback]

I too have ADHD, all diagnosed and such.

It is hard, you cant just sit down and work right. I really cant explain it. I have a social phobia as well so it is very hard for me to get work. But i have kept at it for years, and even though im only eighteen i consider myself to be pretty good.

Ive found that i work extremely fast to make up for my inattentativeness. I actual think my approach to art has evolved around me having ADHD. Being creative and having artists block are just things we create in our mind, unless i have a certain thing im trying to create, im just thinking of shapes and values. Its like clay to me.

well i guess im not much help : D but i know what your going through, and i hope you find something that pumps you up.

[Pilgrim1099]

Hunchback,

Thanks kid. Back in high school, focusing and having the drive to do artwork was never the problem, even though as a child and throughout, I did day-dream too much and spaced out during class that did'nt really interest me much. But art drew me in as I was living in my own world.

Little did I realize that this was going to be a problem years later undiagnosed. No one knew nor detected that. I did'nt even know it had a name or history. I could do hyper detail with graphite if I really wanted to now but being an adult with such financial responsibiities and worrying about how to re-establish myself, along with such isolation in VT is a challenge. I'm a city person and have grown up in the large city for years and making this kind of jump to here was done by circumstances out of my control and to which I had no choice but to do ( long story ).

If undiagnosed, some form of ADHD can rob you of your time and ability to focus and truly absorb the skills needed. But it can also screw your ability to socialize, even with the opposite sex, depending on how severe it is. EDIT: By the way, people who are deaf or have lost their hearing in life endure this kind of thing and is much more common.

Right now, I'm struggling to figure out my professional direction since there a bajillion of things to pursue such as concept art, 3-D art, video game design, comic illustration, fantasy illustration, RPG illustration, storyboarding, t-shirt design, etc. You name it.

So many desires and influences, so little time to pursue.

The faster the industry evolves, the more I have to catch up and it is incredibly frustrating.

Even more frustrating is that I wanted to learn the business of freelancing that CA had hosted over a month ago as a webcast but could'nt afford to, nor be able to hear what was said. I needed that particular skill to get ahead if I'm to master the marketing side and deal with clientele that don't play by the rules or take advantage of me. Back then, my art school had a class on that but it was never truly 'updated' with the times and I never found the time to take it due to the credit load. And besides, I was afraid the information I learned might get lost through my head if I space out again.

And that's why I'm trying to kind of re-build myself from scratch to a certain extent.

[KarylGilbertson]

I have a couple tips for you... hopefully you'll find them useful.

As far as the "Business of Freelancing" goes... There is a book called "Pricing & Ethical Guidelines" published by the Graphic Artists Guild. While I have never personally read it, I have heard it recommended countless times by others. Might be worth investigating.

http://www.graphicartistsguild.org/handbook/

And as for "struggling to improve while the industry evolves", and finding a "professional direction".

Don't worry about that so much yet. Get the basics down first. You need a solid, general artistic foundation before you need to worry about the specific differences between say, Concept Art or Illustration. Keep improving your GENERAL SKILLS, eg your ability to paint (digitally and/or traditionally), your observation skills, control over value, colour, and composition.

If you can draw and/or paint things fairly convincingly, you'll find it much easier to build upon those skills with the specific knowledge, skills and theory needed for each individual field.

[Pilgrim1099]

Ooochk,

Thanks for the tips. As for the Pricing and Ethical Guideline book, I happen to have the 2001 eleventh edition version years back. It offered great information but something was missing. I'm hoping to get the latest edition if I can afford it and I don't know how relevant it will be to today's standards and if the information taught in the Freelance webcast by ConceptArt is any better or similar to what's in the book :/.

The problem is that I'm deaf/hard of hearing and have had strangers call me out of the blue to my voice mail assuming that I'm hearing. It's a pain in the a$$ to try to catch what they're saying on the voice mail because I have some residual hearing left on one ear. And I never use interpreters because I was raised and taught to read lips while speaking orally. And because I was taught to read lips, I've had to do the same thing during art school. I'm afraid to leave my phone number on the resume because client will call up, not knowing that I'm deaf/hard of hearing. I rely on my Blackberry for text messaging and email on the go which is so much easier.

If clients don't know how to use email, why should I waste time with them? If I had an agent or a rep to take those calls and screen out shady BS clients, then I would have less to worry about.

In regards to doing the basics, I do remember them well from over 20 years ago and can draw convincingly. My biggest weakness is that I 've never touched oils all my life due to my concerns with allergic reactions or asthma. But watercolor/acrylics has not been an issue for me. I've nothing against oil painting and am amazed at what atelier students and masters can pull off with it.

It's been ten years since I graduated from art school and I have to do something to get myself back on the right track after having gone through a lot of things. Even though I've had small art shows/exhibits here and there locally and am not getting much out of it. Back then, I've wanted to do comic book illustration but now my tastes have changed greatly and do something besides just that to expand from that point.

But I need to find a way to get my ADHD (adult defiency hyper-activity disorder) under control. That is, if it is proven that I have some degree of it. It has not be diagnosed yet. And get my freelance career back on track somehow.

[Nadesican]

Hey there! I'm almost happy to hear that there's someone else out there in a similar situation as me. While I'm not deaf, I'm fairly sure I have ADHD (no health insurance, wont be testing it any time soon). As far as keeping focused goes, It's a matter of enthusiasm.

I can't focus on things I don't enjoy, but when I find something I do, I lock in on it. So that's what you need to try and do. Try to make your work interesting, especially the parts that you start to feel yourself drifting off. If you start feeling burnt out, by all means take a break, but find an aspect of what you are working on (even if it wasn't where you stopped) and get excited about it!

I've found lately that this, in combination with a good work ethic, can keep you productive.

Oh..as for the phone message thing..Can't you leave an answering machine message explaining your situation and dropping your email? Even if you can't speak (as the case may or may not be) you can always use the synthetic voice on your computer, or have a friend leave the message.

[Pilgrim1099]

Nadesican,

Good to hear from a fellow New Englander. It's true that one has to have some kind of enthusiasm in order to attain the sense of drive to continue drawing/painting.

And yes, that's exactly what it is. If I'm turned on by an idea, I'll do it because it's enjoyable. But if something turns me off, I won't do it or it'll feel like work to me. It's usually common for me to seem like I'm drifting off and this happens a lot. Sometimes the lack of creative support around here locally sucks as they don't really cater to the actual illustration field and have some 'barnyard on the landscape' crap in galleries.

(However, the exception is Steve Bissette who lives in VT. Yes, the one and ONLY Bissette who worked with Alan Moore on Swamp Thing)

As for the phone. Well, here's the thing. I can talk and read lips in person with no problem with my hearing aid on. But when it comes to using the phone, it's a pain. I have access to a video phone technology and using a Relay service also online, but I would never, ever use them on clientele (or women that I happen to meet) who are hearing because they're not aware of such things. I only use this for certain emergencies because the Relay call uses an operator that takes my call as I type what I'm saying, the person then relays my text to speech to another person on the other end of the line. It's quite time-consuming and I do not think that Art Directors in the professional field are going to have time with that.

EDIT: by the way, the Relay calls are similar to a TTY call. Old school TTYs are no used much these days now and have been converted as software applications on Blackberries or web apps to make such calls.

The other thing is that I can't just leave a voice mail instructing people to email me. If the person tries to call me and they don't have an email address, that's going to be a problem. What if I leave a message telling clients who call me out of the blue that I'm deaf? Will it turn them off, scaring them away from me, reducing my opportunities for projects that may have gotten me further in my career?

The video-phone technology, on the other hand, works similar to a Relay service, but the deaf person signs to the operator on the tv screen, the op then calls the other line and orally relays the message. Then, the op signs back what's being said and so on. The problem is I don't know much of ASL (American Sign Language) because of the way I was raised and taught. I don't believe in using ASL when I can use my voice and it would be extremely awkward for me to use sign language to an op to communicate to a hearing person.

I'm essentially living in a "no man's land".

And I don't have a land-line, please keep this in mind (and I would never use Fairpoint's phone services if you're from Maine and deal with them). I only use a Blackberry smartphone to text and email on the go because paying for both phones make no sense to me. There's no one around here that can really take calls for me because I live in my home studio.

[SlinkyDice]

Has anyone in here even entertained the thought of seeing their doctors for the right medication?

[Pilgrim1099]

Has anyone in here even entertained the thought of seeing their doctors for the right medication?

I'm staying away from psychiatric drugs unless they actually help. Have they helped you and your creative work?

[SlinkyDice]

I would say yes.

[Pilgrim1099]

I would say yes.

In what way has it helped you? What's the name of the drug you're prescribed? I've heard stories that with some psychotropic drugs, people lose interest in their hobbies or passion in the field they work in almost in an apathetic and/or burnt out feeling.

[Jovian M]

Get some Ritalin. You'll draw more, and you won't be hungry.

[Dave_]

I was wondering, whats the procedure of getting diagnosed with ADD/ADHD? where do you start?

[kjdawson80]

In what way has it helped you? What's the name of the drug you're prescribed? I've heard stories that with some psychotropic drugs, people lose interest in their hobbies or passion in the field they work in almost in an apathetic and/or burnt out feeling.

I'm not SlinkyDice, and I don't have ADHD, but I am on psychiatric meds for depression. I would say that the drugs have helped me with my depression, and because of that, I have more motivation/energy to draw.

I did discuss those stories with my therapist once, and she said that there were a few studies done on creative types. The results seemed to indicate that over a period of time, the amount of art/music/whatever created was roughly of equal amount and quality, but the subject thought they were creating more because they made so much when they were manic, but their productivity dropped off significantly during their downswings.

I also have a friend who has ADD, and he knows the that the medications he's supposed to take work for him, and they don't intefere with his drive/passion for his hobbies. However, he takes a lot of other drugs for chronic asthma and other health issues, so he chooses NOT to take the meds for his ADD because of all the other medications he's on. It's safest for him to drop the ADD meds and just power through it.

I won't lie - most drugs have side effects. Some do decrease your drive (I know that Paxil effed me up hardcore). It will take trial and error to find something that works for you... but it might be worth a shot, right?

[Pilgrim1099]

I was wondering, whats the procedure of getting diagnosed with ADD/ADHD? where do you start?

To my understanding, the way it works is you see a licensed psychiatrist to evaluate the level and severity of your ADD/ADHD. The shrink will determine whether medication or other forms of treatment will be needed. It might not be just medication but rather something else like a dietary change.

However, I know that psychiatrists can only prescribe the medication while counselors or therapists cannot. And psychiatry units require a referral from a physician.

But it takes a lot of testing and asking questions about your history, diet, health issues, and your behavioral patterns to determine that. I have'nt seen a shrink yet and am surprised that in the last 30 some years, no one has even picked up on my attention-deficiency. But I do know that most deaf or late deafened people have it.

[CortesDiddy]

I've had it my whole life. Thing is, half the time I'm afraid to even mention it as the most common reaction from others is that I am using something fictitious as a crutch. This is one of my fears in communicating my cognitive disposition to others. I don't even approach it that way. I never did actually.

I also try to make others understand that I don't try to call attention to it as if I'm "that unique person who always has to think differently". I have no such pretensions. In fact, many things I do I learn in similar fashion as most people. I can comprehend the same principles, concepts, all that. I just get to it in slightly different ways.

It's kind of like thinking in a different language compared to the plurality of people you live with. My end goals (learning) are pretty much the same as anybody, but the methods I use to try to get there can sometimes be COMPLETELY different from others so much that it seems incomprehensible. Likewise from my viewpoint, a learning method that seems completely cold logical to others will sound like Venusian to my mind.

One of the common hurdles is that it's very much a thought process of extremes. Many times I have found myself either trying to take in everything at once, or become focused with laserlike precision on one element of a problem that eventually the others lose their conceptual coherence to my mind.

Therefore many routine methods of organization can be incredibly frustrating for me, while others appear like second nature. Again, it's like speaking a different language. Thoughts translate from wildly different forms into the same common ideas compared to others without ADD.

I don't see it as a handicap, a unique specialty, or anything of the sort. I just go about getting shit done differently most of the time. I don't think I'm special for it, and I don't care about how you learn things either. :p