8” x 10”, acrylic on canvas
Growing up with undiagnosed ADHD really sucked. So many things were a struggle but I desperately wanted to belong and tried so hard to conform to the neurotypical world around me. Unfortunately, this world was not made for people like me and I was set up to fail over and over and over again while being told it was my fault for “not trying hard enough.” I was also told that I had so much “potential” and that I wasn’t dumb, I was just lazy and careless, which almost felt worse. I truly began to believe that I was slow and that life would just be a constant struggle because there was something wrong with me.
Then a teacher of mine suggested I get tested for ADHD and I was finally diagnosed when I was 15 years old. I’m pretty sure it saved my life. This painting represents what it felt like as a kid and what it still sometimes feels like as a neurodivergent adult navigating a neurotypical world.
8” x 10”, acrylic on canvas
Growing up with undiagnosed ADHD really sucked. So many things were a struggle but I desperately wanted to belong and tried so hard to conform to the neurotypical world around me. Unfortunately, this world was not made for people like me and I was set up to fail over and over and over again while being told it was my fault for “not trying hard enough.” I was also told that I had so much “potential” and that I wasn’t dumb, I was just lazy and careless, which almost felt worse. I truly began to believe that I was slow and that life would just be a constant struggle because there was something wrong with me.
Then a teacher of mine suggested I get tested for ADHD and I was finally diagnosed when I was 15 years old. I’m pretty sure it saved my life. This painting represents what it felt like as a kid and what it still sometimes feels like as a neurodivergent adult navigating a neurotypical world.
