ADHD and Self Confidence

“don’t write that, they don’t care.”

“What could you have to offer to the world that hasn’t already been offered?”

“What could you say that hasn’t already been said?”

“There are so many writers and books and artists, and designers, and thinkers out there that have already done this thing. Nothing you do is original. Why are you trying?”

            -My Monkey Brain

Does this sound familiar at all?  This is incredibly common for myself. The territory in my head is a battlefield and I don’t wish anyone to take a walk through that, but I bring this up because more and more people are becoming more comfortable taking the plunge I see as artists, writers, and creatives! This makes me think: Have I turned to art bc I couldn’t seem to discipline myself long enough to study for science, or math, or history, or some other subject that had hard and fast rules? Was art a “cop out” for little Maria? Or have my innocent arting and crafting grown into writing passages and designing graphic themes of life that seem to be glossed over?

I’m a writer, right? But I haven’t been like this my entire life. A lot of people seem to think that in order for you to be something in your adulthood, you need to have demonstrated passion or an interest in it in your childhood; I include myself in this. I too believed that in order for me to “be something” when I grew up that I needed to start super young, have a burning desire for that “thing” throughout my life to prove to the world that I was that “thing” and that somehow shaped my identity. But I am just discovering now, more recently, that is not the case. I have always been a kid who, when passionate about something, went full speed ahead; but once that initial fire burned out, I threw that hobby away. I never really followed things through. Everything requires discipline. Which is what is so hard when you have ADHD. My monkey brain wants to come out and play! 

This has created a roadblock many a time for myself and has contributed to my confidence fluctuating based on what my monkey brain tells me what I can do on certain days. So, how do we get past these roadblocks and ignore our monkey brains? I have no clue. (reader, if you were hoping for an answer here, I’m sorry but you might not get one…) People say I am more aware of the world around me than I realise, but sometimes I don’t believe it. Is it possible you can be so aware that you become confused by what is real and what is white noise trying to distract you?

How can I create when I feel like no one actually wants to read my words or see my visuals? Just keep doing it. Creativity is my avenue to express what is inside myself, I should not be smothering it. This goes for you to fellow creator. Keep creating. Keep doing the thing that you do so well because that is what you were brought to this planet to do. No one can put words together like you, creator. No one can paint like you can, no one can draw like you and no one can take pictures like you do. There is always someone out there who wants to hear your perspective and see your views. The more people create, the more communities get built, and the more communities get built, the less alone people feel. Let’s keep building communities and celebrating people’s passions for life.

Forget what your monkey brain tells you, don’t you dare stop being your unique creative self.

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