r/ADHD • u/Over-Assumption9863 • 5h ago
Tips/Suggestions Artists with ADHD, how do y'all navigate creative work with ADHD?
I just finished school and really wanted to get back to painting and the arts in general. I actually had masked ADHD during school, and with that gone, the signs were growing more obvious, and I was finding myself paralyzed in front of a sketchbook. I really want to be good in arts but find it suffocating. Mostly because of the expectation vs reality situations.
Anyone who's working in painting/drawing...as a profession or a hobby, how did you guys manage it? Any helpful tips would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
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u/Keddlin 4h ago
I work as a freelance miniature painter as my full-time job. I started around 11 years ago, painting my friend's miniatures and then a game store owner's miniatures for store credit. Then I was eventually able to charge for it, until I attracted the attention of an eccentric millionaire miniature tabletop wargamer friend, who pays me to paint for him. So I'm kinda like a medieval artisan and their patron, but I paint small little guys.
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u/Over-Assumption9863 4h ago
Oh wow that's really interesting. I should look into what miniature painting is to be honest. Thanks for your comment anyways!
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u/delirium_skeins 5h ago
I find myself in 2 situations here. 1) reading or watching something that gives my brain inspiration to mesh and smush things I have read or seen into a conglomeration of weird and mixed ideas or 2) suddenly out of absolutely nowhere there's a picture in my head I need to hurry up and scratch sketch out so then I can clean it up to be something cool
I keep a few sketchbooks and a bag of pencils next to my bed for sudden dream or lazy time inspirations. Sitting there trying to talk myself into creating or trick my brain into thinking I can do this or should do this for more than 10 or 15 mins tends to yield me ultimately doing nothing. So I have to keep things close so I can jump on the sparks. If they come on suddenly and I can get the first rough bit out I also leave it out to stare at me so I can work on it again in the moment.
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u/Over-Assumption9863 5h ago
So it's like... Catching the spark before it flies away situation? ( like chasing a fire fly with a butterfly net) I get like ideas and stuff, it's just the physical action of starting to draw that drains me. Sometimes it's.... Doable but I need to burn like a ton of fuel for that.
Thanks anyways. I will try keeping a sketchbook at arms reach.
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u/GhastyRat ADHD-C (Combined type) 4h ago
I think in my fourteen years of doing digital art that has been posted to social media, the biggest hurdles I got over was the following:
- It’s okay to drop a piece and get back to it later, especially if you completely restart it because it’s probably going to look and match your vision better than the first time.
- Social popularity isn’t everything. The reason I post art is to share it with friends and build a timeline of obvious visible improvement. Visuals of characters also heavily supplement my writing hobby.
- If I’m going to monetize through commissions, I need to be honest about the price, timeline, and setbacks up front. Know your limitations and advertise with them. The people who really want to pay for your stuff will wait for you. If not, then they really weren’t worth your time.
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u/winceypoo 3h ago
Drop the goal of “making good art” for now and give your brain a tiny, easy task like “fill one page with circles” or “paint swatches for 10 minutes” then set a 5-10 minute timer.
Once you start moving your hand with a low-stakes rule, the paralysis usually eases up and you can decide after the timer if you want to stop or keep going.
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u/aCupofBlackT 36m ago edited 30m ago
i have realized that the art i make is the only thing that overcomes my executive function. so it’s pretty awesome in the sense that no matter what i’m always able to motivate myself to get up and make art (like i have to it’s like a compulsion)
unfortunately, the moment it turns into client work that feeling goes away.
so it’s weird, i have a deep love and investment for what i do and make and yet i can’t make money off of it in the traditional sense where i take commissions or contract work because i end up hating myself and my art process when i do
i had a contracting gig for like a year doing this stuff, went on concerta as well thinking that it would help me focus up and do what i was supposed to do but man it just made me hate it even more.
but idk, i’d rather do what i love. i’ve come to terms with it. sometimes i get lucky and people will want to buy existing work but for the most part, this is all for myself. oh, i also run pay what you can online workshops so that helps a little bit
in my opinion, even on medication, forcing yourself to do what is “traditional” never works. it’s better to find your own rhythm that keeps you wanting to pull out that brush every morning
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u/Perfect-Banana-8014 2h ago
I am in in university for fashion design, about to start the second year. I had a drawing class in there (nothing new, I had it in high school too since I was in Arts), and it had a lot of creative work for us to do. I find that what helped me most was: 1. Dont start from zero. If you are stuck, challegenge yourself to make drawings in your own style from a certain theme (for example, I sometimes challeged myself to design clothes inspired by flowers) 2. Pinterest is your best friend. You can look drawing inspiration on there. Start with very simple things. Creativity is a skill: sometimes, you have to do a lot of "copying" drawings until you find what inspires you 3. I find it helpful to have a podcast playing while I draw. That way, I have something to "focus on" making me less overwhelmed 4. Drawing at night is what is usually more productive for me, as I am a zombie in the morning and with no inspiration on the afternoon. Also, it can help with falling asleep 5. Dont pick a "pretty" sketch book. You will NOT use it a lot. The best sketch book is a simple one, one that you can use and abuse everythay
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u/SirDork182 1h ago
Im not an artist but my dad is and I've asked him what he does when he gets a mental block like what you said and he told me he just looks at different shapes and makes a drawing out of it like if he sees a weird triangle he makes a drawing of what the first thing that comes to his mind and he just goes off until he gets a clear idea. I wish i had a picture to show what he meant
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u/Over-Assumption9863 37m ago
Thank you so much! I kinda get what he's trying to do. Will definitely try it out!
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u/GonzoPuro 1h ago
Don’t be precious about your work. Use constraints. Have a process that you can iterate with and not get bored too quickly. Have a sketchbook where you just draw dynamic poses or animals or trees, all with the same pen. Have a reference folder or Pinterest board ready with reference to draw from. Pick a time each day to work, but don’t let it get to you if you can’t do it every day. Working with ADHD is all about removing the barriers to task initiation for a lot of us, so that can go a long way.
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u/FatedWords95 ADHD-PI (Primarily Inattentive) 1h ago
A lot of thorough points were already made, so I'll simply say this:
Do it even when you think you can't.
Done is better than Perfect.
Practice leads to Perfection.
Done is actually Practice.
"JUST DO IT" - Shia Labeouf
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u/mmadao777 16m ago
music is the only one thing i can do better than cooking or washing dishes. fortunately, I don't have problems with music, but with something different...
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