5 Lies I Believed About Creativity as Someone with ADHD (and the Truth)

Hello, brains. I'm moving furniture. Why am I moving furniture? For creativity. Let me explain. Those of us with ADHD often struggle with creativity. Not because we aren't creative, but because we've internalized a lot of messages about how creativity is supposed to work. Messages that aren't true. At least, not for brains like ours. So today, I want to share five lies I believed about creativity as someone with ADHD, and the truth. But before I do, if you enjoy this video, give it a like. It's a quick and easy way to support the channel, and it helps. A lot. Lie number one. Creativity should come naturally. A lot of us grew up being told we were creative, and that sounds like a good thing. Until you realize what we internalized was, if I'm naturally creative, creativity should come naturally. It should be easy. So when it wasn't easy, when we struggled to start, or we got stuck, or couldn't turn ideas into anything tangible, we assumed something was wrong with us. Because if I'm so creative, why is creating so hard? Maybe people were wrong about our potential. Here's the thing. Creativity isn't just inspiration. It's also executive function. It's planning. It's organizing. It's task initiation. It's working memory. It's being able to sustain motivation over time. All things ADHD brains tend to struggle with. So yeah, you might have amazing ideas, but turning those ideas into something real, that's a whole different skill set. The truth is, creativity doesn't just happen. It's built. It's supported with tools and strategies, and sometimes meds. I just gave an entire keynote about tools to support ADHD creativity that will also be on this channel, and when it's ready, it will be in the description and here. Lie number two. Creativity is just about artistic expression. When we hear the word creativity, a lot of us picture artists, painters, writers, musicians, people making art, and if that's not something you identify with, it's easy to think, oh, I'm not creative, but that definition is way too small because creativity isn't just about making art. It's also about making things work. It's problem solving. It's adapting. It's finding new ways to approach something when the obvious way isn't working, and ADHD brains, we do that all the time. We come up with workarounds. We connect ideas in unexpected ways. We figure out how to get from point A to point B, even when the path isn't clear. It might not always look like a finished painting or a polished project. Sometimes it looks like, okay, what if I put this here instead? The truth is, creativity isn't just artistic expression. It's innovative thought. It's flexible thinking, and if you have ADHD, chances are, you're already doing that more than you think. I'll link to some interesting research on ways which ADHD brains tend to be more creative in the description below, or you can check out our video on ADHD and creativity here. Speaking of innovative thought, line number three, I just need the right idea. If you're anything like me, you've had a lot of ideas, like a lot, so when you're not doing anything with them, it's easy to think, oh, I just haven't found the right idea yet, the perfect idea, the one worth doing, but waiting for the right idea can keep us stuck forever because ADHD brains don't just generate ideas. We also over-evaluate them. We try to predict, will this work? Is it good enough? Is it worth the effort? And that over-analysis, that pressure to make sure your idea is good enough, that, let's call it what it is, perfectionism, it kills momentum before it even starts. Ask my editor how I'm doing on book number two. The truth is, ideas often don't become good until you do something with them, or sometimes until you've pushed through the messy middle, where nothing seems to be working, and you come out the other side. Clarity often comes after action, not before, and even if what you're after is a truly great idea, temporarily suspending judgment is good for creativity. Creativity research has found that separating creation from evaluation allows for more original ideas to emerge. Ooh, what if I did? Line number four, I need to stay focused. Focus, the F word. I used to think that to be creative, I had to stay focused, no distractions, no wandering, no interruptions. After all, I was trying to get something done, sometimes on a tight deadline. Hi, hey, where are you going? But here's the thing, distraction is part of the process. It's how you make unexpected connections. It's how ideas evolve. Sometimes stepping away is exactly what lets something click. While focus is good for productivity, it's not always great for creativity, and even when focus is the goal, staying focused isn't the only way to get there. You can also build skills for coming back. The truth is, creativity isn't about not getting distracted. It's about allowing your mind to wander and knowing how to bring it back over and over and over again. Ooh! Line number five, I should be able to create alone. There's this image a lot of us have of what creativity is supposed to look like. You, alone, deep in focus, maybe in a cozy cabin in the woods, writing your novel or painting your masterpiece. And to be fair, most creativity does involve periods of deep work where you're by yourself. That's where the comes from. It is important to carve out that time. But here's the part we don't talk about as much. Most creatives don't create entirely alone. They collaborate. They bounce ideas off other people. They get feedback. They ask for help narrowing ideas down or organizing their thoughts. Sometimes they just meet someone there not even helping, just existing in the same space. Oh, pillowcase, body doubling, accountability, inspiration. Creativity often happens between people, not just inside one person's head. The truth is, you don't have to create alone. The level of other people's involvement is probably going to depend on the project and how you like to work. But if creating by yourself feels hard sometimes, it doesn't mean you're not creative. It might just mean you need a little extra support. That does not look right. Hang on. Oh. Oh. Before I go, I'd love to know what you think. What lies did you believe about creativity that turned out to be untrue? Let me know in the comments below. And if you need support with your creativity, come join the most knowledgeable ADHD community on the internet on our Discord through Patreon. Thank you to our Brain Advocates and all our Patreon Brains for supporting HowToADHD's creativity by giving us an income we can rely on so we can focus our creativity on our content rather than how to make ends meet. Like, subscribe, click all the things and I will see you next week. Bye Brains!