When Losing Interest Isn't Failure: ADHD and Creativity

With ADHD, creative ideas are often the easy part. Starting one is harder. So is the project you were sure about, set down just short of finished, and the shame that follows. In this special episode of the ADHD Skills Lab, Skye Waterson shares a conversation from the ADHD Channel for Women, created by Understood.org. Host Cate Osborn talks with Adam Reid, an Emmy Award-winning writer, director, filmmaker, and producer, in front of a live studio audience. Adam didn't know he had ADHD until he was around 45. Their conversation explores ADHD and creativity, and what happens between having an idea and finishing it. Adam explains how he gives himself permission to start, to be bad at something, and to let an idea become nothing. He describes getting close to the end of a first draft and losing all interest in looking at it again. He talks about putting work away to age instead of automatically calling it a failure, and how pieces of old projects have sometimes found their way back into his creative life years later. Cate brings the harder questions. The frustration of choosing one interest while others wait. The difference between creative potential and finished work. The reality of responsibilities, and the fact that making room for creativity is easier for some people than others. Adam also talks about understanding his strengths, finding people and environments that support how he works, and learning that his worth isn't determined by what he creates. Skye also shares how Adam's experience reminded her of stepping away from academia after her master's degree, spending a year making art and working in a bakery, before returning to complete her PhD. No hustle. No pressure to turn every idea into an achievement. No need to prove your worth through what you produce. What We Cover Why starting can be the hardest part, and how Adam gives himself permission to begin Why Adam thinks of ideas as seeds rather than children to protect What happens when interest fades before a project is finished How strengths, supportive people, and the right environments influence creativity Late ADHD diagnosis, masking, and separating self-worth from creative output Want to hear more? Listen to more episodes of the ADHD Channel for Women from Understood.org: https://lnk.to/adhdchannelforwomenFD!theadhdskillslab P.S. If you’re a founder who’s tired of the mad scramble of disorganized systems and stressful HR, and you want a business that feels as easy as plugging your headphones into an iPod shuffle, I’ve got something for you. Want to grow your business?  My Focused Balanced Growth Program has everything you need to build consistent ADHD-friendly routines and processes to grow. Click here to learn more. Looking for a coach who's also an operator who'll turn your business into a finely-tuned profit and peace machine designed for your brain?  I work with one company a month as a fractional consultant and COO, learning about your business and implementing systems that allow both trust & transparency with your team. Click here to book a call and discuss.