This week, Faigie Kobre joins Eric on the podcast for a discussion on reigniting creativity.  Faigie is a creative coach for people who don’t feel artistic but love art!  She works with people who have creativity scars and think they “aren’t creative” because they can’t draw.  She has a passion for reconnecting people with their inner creativity to bring calm, color, and joy into their lives.  

In this conversation, you’ll hear about Eric’s journey with music, why people stop tapping into their creativity, why Faigie is trying to bring art back to everybody who wants to come back to it, and her start as an early childhood educator.  Then, you’ll hear about creativity scars, comparison, perfectionism, the healing and sensory benefits of creativity, and how anyone at any age can tap into their creativity.

Get in touch with Faigie, reignite your creativity & take her micro-course at CreativityReignited.com!  https://creativityreignited.com 

Questions/Topics: 

• [00:01:45] “Everybody is born creative.” - Faigie
• [00:04:52] “There’s so many ways to do art where you don’t have to know how to draw.”
• [00:05:19] What was it that drew Faigie to not just creativity and art, but also using creativity and art to connect with others and help other people? 
• [00:07:26] Faigie gets hooked on mixed-media art and getting people back to their childhoods 
• [00:08:45] A discussion on play in the realm of creativity and allowing it to flourish 
• [00:11:33] An intersection between being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and interest in artwork
• [00:12:59] What is T.A.B.? (Teaching for Artistic Behavior)
• [00:13:42] “In schools [...] it’s more about how the art makes the teacher look” and being punished for the expression of an idea
• [00:18:13] What are creativity scars? 
• [00:20:28] “Comparison is the thief of joy,” learning to create, and enjoying the process
• [00:21:51] Eric shares his journey with painting and a discussion on cleaning up after an art session 
• [00:24:08] Using an art journal and how general creativity can help someone combat perfectionism
• [00:26:01] Faigie shares five mediums of art that have tremendous opportunities for creativity 
• [00:27:47] Eric asks why art is such an impactful medium for people with ADHD: “How is this helping us?” 
• [00:34:23] A discussion on getting started when we don’t know where to start
• [00:38:48] Eric asks, “As an artist with ADHD, how do you know when a piece of work is done?” 
• [00:40:09] Color schemes and color wheels
• [00:45:17] Closing thoughts

Resources:

• Book - The Creativity Cure by Carrie Barron and Alton Barron (on Goodreads)
• Book - Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All by Tom Kelly and David Kelly (on Goodreads)
• Book - Healing the Child Within: Discovery and Recovery for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families by Charles L. Whitfield (on Goodreads)
• Book - Homecoming: Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child by John Bradshaw (on Goodreads)
• Book - The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (on Goodreads)
• Video - Do Schools Kill Creativity? | Sir Ken Robinson (YouTube - watch here)
• Website - Sir Ken Robinson at SirKenRobinson.com https://www.sirkenrobinson.com 
• Website - Danny Gregory at DannyGregory.com https://www.dannygregory.com 
• Website - Sketchbook School by Danny Gregory at SketchbookSkool.com https://sketchbookskool.com 
• Website - CreativeConfidence.com https://www.creativeconfidence.com 
• Article - Johari Window on CommunicationTheory.org (read here)

Honorable Mentions:

• “...so many adults feel non-creative because of how they were squashed when they were kids.”

• “Comparison is the thief of joy.” 

• “The idea of play is that you’re doing it for no purpose other than the enjoyment of it.” 

🌟 Check out the Other Podcasts on the ADHD reWired Podcast Network:

• adhdessentials.com ADHD Essentials with Brendan Mahan
• hackingyouradhd.com Hacking Your ADHD with Will Curb
• adhddiversified.ca ADHD Diversified with MJ Siemens

🌟 Have you heard about our Adult Study Hall Community? Go to adultstudyhall.com to join our ADHD-friendly body-doubling community!

🌟 Interested in group coaching and want to take your ADHD management to the next level? Go to coachingrewired.com to get all the up-to-date information on the upcoming season of ADHD reWired's award-winning Coaching & Accountability groups!

In this episode, Eric is joined by Jesse J. Anderson, a.k.a @ADHDJesse.  Jesse is a writer, speaker, developer, and content creator who was diagnosed with ADHD at 36.  He is the co-founder of Polar Habits, a guilt-free habit app, and he writes a weekly newsletter called Extra Focus.  He is the author (rather, soon-to-be-author!) of Refocus: Thriving with Adult ADHD.  He also has two podcasts and more! 

You’ll hear about leaning into mistakes, what Polar Habits is all about, how breaking a ‘streak’ of habits doesn’t undo your progress, and how changing our environments can impact our habits.   Then, you’ll hear more about habits, perfectionism, prioritization, and the importance of being vulnerable while having a curious and non-judgemental mindset.  Finally, you’ll hear Jesse fill us in about his creative writing process and what prompted him to start writing his book. 

Timestamps coming soon! 

Resources:

• Find Jesse on Twitter and Instagram as @ADHDJesse 

• Jesse’s Website: Adhdjesse.com https://adhdjesse.com  

• Get Jesse’s newsletter & the waiting list for his book at ExtraFocus.com https://www.extrafocus.com 

• Polar Habits at polarhabits.com https://polarhabits.com 

• Podcast: ADHD Nerds https://adhdnerds.com 

Honorable Mentions:

• Tool: Llama Life https://llamalife.co 

• ADHD reWired episode #47 - ADHD at 55 MPH https://www.adhdrewired.com/adhd-at-55-mph/ 

• ADHD reWired episode #453 with Marie Ng https://www.adhdrewired.com/453-2/ 

• Book: Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Marilee G. Adams https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/6665149 

• “So much of managing ADHD is just like learning my patterns, and then trying to build systems around catching those patterns.” - Jesse 

• “...one of the most important ingredients of a good coachee [is] curiosity [...] That’s gold.  If you have a non-judgemental curiosity towards how things are going, you’re going to figure it all out.  It just takes time.”  - Eric

🌟 Check out the Other Podcasts on the ADHD reWired Podcast Network:

• adhdessentials.com ADHD Essentials with Brendan Mahan
• hackingyouradhd.com Hacking Your ADHD with Will Curb
• adhddiversified.ca ADHD Diversified with MJ Siemens

🌟 Have you heard about our Adult Study Hall Community? Go to adultstudyhall.com to join our ADHD-friendly body-doubling community!

🌟 Interested in group coaching and want to take your ADHD management to the next level? Go to coachingrewired.com to get all the up-to-date information on the upcoming season of ADHD reWired's award-winning Coaching & Accountability groups!

Join the ADHD reWired Team every second Tuesday of the month for our monthly Live Q&A by going to adhdrewired.com/Events

Get the full uninterrupted version of this episode when you become a Patron at $5.00 a month or more by going to adhdrewired.com/Patreon! 

Questions/Topics: 

• [00:01:07] Welcome & introductions.

• [00:02:48] Hello to our special guest panelist.

• [00:03:25] A listener asks about laziness and ADHD: “Does laziness exist?”

• [00:13:22] The Sleep With Me Podcast has over 1000 episodes. Eric asks Scoots if he ever gets bored from doing the same thing over and over again.

• [00:16:19] “What are some ways that you trick yourselves into getting up in the morning when the prospect of life is overwhelming?” 

• [00:28:00] “After finally finding the right medication (for ADHD), what is the next step? Self-help books, podcasts, and routines are great but don’t stick long enough. Coaching options?” 

• [00:29:31] A listener shares feeling shame around their ADHD diagnosis, then asks the panelists for tips on accepting and loving oneself with it.  

• [00:32:03] Scoots has a mix of working in coworking spaces and from home but has been experiencing back pain from working on the couch.  Then, he asks about options for changing scenery.  

• [00:40:34] “Just lost three months to a game. Deleted the game - how do I start to get back on track?” 

• [00:47:54] A listener asks Scoots, “How did you come up with the ‘Sleep With Me Podcast’ style you use? Was it a default process or were you intentionally embracing and capitalizing on the pointless meandering train-of-thought? 

• [00:52:59] “One of my main problems is paralysis when I start to feel overwhelmed.  I have so much to do that I can’t decide what to work on so I do nothing.  How can I calm that feeling without ignoring all the things I’m behind on?” 

• [00:58:57] A question related to the national medication shortage.  

• [01:01:17] Scoots does an on-the-fly Sleep-With-Me-style summary of today’s episode

• [01:04:47] A moment of dad… 

Resources & Honorable Mentions:

• Sleep With Me Podcast https://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com/ 

• App: Wake N Shake Alarm Clock 4+ (on iOS only) 

• Alarm on Wheels https://clocky.com 

• Book: The One Thing https://the1thing.com/book/ 

Check out the Other Podcasts on the ADHD reWired Podcast Network:

• adhdessentials.com ADHD Essentials with Brendan Mahan

• hackingyouradhd.com Hacking Your ADHD with Will Curb

• adhddiversified.ca ADHD Diversified with MJ Siemens

Have you heard about our Adult Study Hall Community? Go to adultstudyhall.com to join our ADHD-friendly body-doubling community!

Interested in group coaching and want to take your ADHD management to the next level? Go to coachingrewired.com to get all the up-to-date information on the upcoming season of ADHD reWired's award-winning Coaching & Accountability groups!

In this episode, Eric is joined by T. Perran Mitchell, the crafter of stories and maker of things! Comics are his favorite medium and have been for as long as he can remember.  Growing up with ADHD, dyslexia, and anxiety, comics not only fostered a love of reading, they were the key to learning to read.  He has also been with the same company for nearly 20 years running their quality control department. 

T took a circuitous path to writing comics by first graduating from Drexel University with a degree in Information Science and Technology.  Every term, he took at least one class for himself that had nothing to do with his major, which led him to accidentally minoring in Philosophy and nearly attaining a minor in literature.  He uses these various interests to inform his writing. 

Find out more about T. Perran Mitchell on his website at TPerranMitchell.com!

https://www.tperranmitchell.com 

You can also find T. Perran Mitchell on LinkedIn, and on Twitter and Instagram as @TPerranMitchell 

Other Questions/Topics Answered in this Episode:

• [00:02:07] Eric asks T about his ADHD story and life growing up 

• [00:04:03] T shares his experiences in college and the classes he was interested in vs. the classes he attended 

• [00:07:54] How has T been able to stay with the same company for nearly 20 years? 

• [00:09:30] Eric and T talk about distractions at work, music, and noise-canceling headphones 

• [00:12:28] A discussion on finding time to write, creative blocks, distractions, and being your own boss

• [00:18:12] Eric asks T about his comic writing and recreating manifestations of his life 

• [00:20:17] Are T’s comics specifically about ADHD or anxiety? 

• [00:21:31] As a creative, what does T’s workflow and writing process look like? 

• [00:25:52] Eric and T have a discussion about collaboration and leaning on the the skills of others 

• [00:32:40] ChatGPT, AI art generators, and how they affect creatives

• [00:40:16] An exchange on handwriting, voice-to-text, and spell-check 

• [00:43:05] Eric asks T about managing hyperfocus 

• [00:46:05] Where to find T. Perran and closing thoughts

Resources & Honorable Mentions:

• Editor’s Choice: Studio / Monitor Headphones - Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro https://global.beyerdynamic.com/dt-770-pro.html 

Check out the Other Podcasts on the ADHD reWired Podcast Network:

• adhdessentials.com ADHD Essentials with Brendan Mahan

• hackingyouradhd.com Hacking Your ADHD with Will Curb

• adhddiversified.ca ADHD Diversified with MJ Siemens

Have you heard about our Adult Study Hall Community? Go to adultstudyhall.com to join our ADHD-friendly body-doubling community!

Interested in group coaching and want to take your ADHD management to the next level? Go to coachingrewired.com to get all the up-to-date information on the upcoming season of ADHD reWired's award-winning Coaching & Accountability groups!