Transcript
Aaron Walter (0:00)
This is an audio version of the Brief the Design Better newsletter that takes you deeper into the insights we've uncovered through hundreds of interviews with creative thinkers. I'm Aaron Walter, ADHD and the Creative Mind over the past seven plus years of interviewing creative people designers, writers, musicians, filmmakers, architects, fashion designers and artists, there is a theme that keeps popping up. It's adhd. ADHD is perceived as a disorder. In fact, it's in the name Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder. But nearly 7% of the global population has been diagnosed with ADHD, according to a study by the NIH, a number I suspect is low as so many go undiagnosed their entire life. I have two sons who have ADHD minds and I see many more kids in their schools whose brains operate similarly. I'm no scientist, but I can't help but think that if such a large part of our population has adhd, maybe this isn't a disorder. Maybe it's a feature, not a bug. Those with ADHD often find their brains running fast, fluttering from perch to perch, rarely still operational. And executive tasks like planning, following directions and staying tuned in during meetings are a struggle. I admit I struggle with this stuff. This gives the impression that those with ADHD have limited attention, but I see the opposite. ADHD thinkers have plenty of attention. It's just not paid out to uninteresting tasks. In fact, many high achieving creative thinkers with ADHD find success because they can't help but pour all their attention into to their work. When an ADHD mind finds a topic of interest, its grip is relentless. Every detail and angle are examined. Impediments like interruptions or insufficient skills are frustrating. As psychiatrist and ADHD expert Dr. Edward Hallowell describes the ADHD mind, ADHD is like having a Ferrari engine for a brain, but with bicycle brakes. Sky Waterson, who was on episode 113 of Design Better, told us people with ADHD often feel like they're driven by a motor. They may switch directions frequently trying to find the right industry or subject, which can lead to burnout cycles. A mind like this, forced to march in time with operational thinkers who thrive in an economic environment shaped by industrialization, is bound to struggle. Though the struggle is real for ADHD thinkers, there are upsides that we should acknowledge. The upside of adhd', from Understood.org there's.
Sky Waterson (2:54)
No concrete evidence that ADHD leads to.
Aaron Walter (2:56)
Creativity, but there are a few studies that suggest ADHD challenges can have an upside. The same qualities that make it hard to take turns or follow directions, for instance, may promote creative thinking. The world can feel like a foreign land for the ADHD mind. That is, until the superpowers it offers are recognized. Creativity and ADHD are deeply connected as it flits from topic to topic. An ADHD mind tends to cross pollinate ideas, sometimes in ways that amaze us. Historians and psychologists suspect Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali all had ADHD minds. Each of them masters at discovering novel concepts by connecting seemingly disconnected ideas. And Bill Gates, Greta Gerwig, Justin Timberlake, Ellen DeGeneres, Jim Carrey, Trevor Noah, Dav Pilkey, and Dave Grohl have all been officially diagnosed. For many of them, their ADHD is central to their success. For them, ADHD has been a superpower, helping them obsessively pursue their interests again From sky watterson in episode 113 on Design Better we do know from the research that we ADHD thinkers are good at creative thinking, creative problem solving, and original thinking. That kind of space is very adhd. We're good at saying if you take this idea and this idea and put them together, we you come up with something completely different. Reframing ADHD ADHD seems like a misnomer to me. Is it a disorder? Sometimes it can feel that way, and for many people it very much is, especially when it's acute. But many see it as an integral part of their creative process of who they are. Creative ADHD thinkers are able to pour all of their attention into a singular passion and let anything incidental pass on by like tiny pebbles through a sieve. It can be a superpower, and must have been for millennia. Our evolution would have surely weeded out this trait from our population. If you've spent your life feeling shame and confusion about your ADHD mind, you should know that nearly 7% of the world is like you, probably a lot more. It's normal and even amazing if you channel it effectively. Far more than 7% of the 150 plus guests on design better have ADHD minds, and they're doing inspiring work. Instead of pathologizing adhd, perhaps we should celebrate it as a different and often extraordinary way of engaging with the world. When given the right tools and environments, ADHD thinkers can shape our culture and industries in transformative ways. To read and share this episode with friends and colleagues, visit designbetterpodcast.com and while you're there, you can become a premium subscriber, which will get you access to the brief newsletter in your inbox every month. Plus ad free episodes, extra episodes every month and so much more, just visit designbetterpodcast.com DesignBetter is brought to you by Wix.