High School Said I Wouldn't Succeed!
I'm a Creative. I make films, advertisements, draw, paint, sculpt, and more. I also own a business that incorporates these skills. Oh, and I have ADHD. To all of my fellow creatives and aspiring creatives in this community, I'm going to share with you tips that got me through adversities with this diagnosis in hopes to encourage you in your innovative endeavors.
In high school, we took an aptitude test, where we answered multiple-choice questions that were mostly situational. I don't remember the inquiries that were on there but I do remember looking at the answers and thinking, "I wouldn't do any of these things." The goal of this test was to determine your future. Whether you'd be a great firefighter, a social worker, or a doctor; it's supposed to tell you what your career path could be and how to undergo the rest of your high school education and on to college.
A few weeks later the teacher passed back the results. Mine read, “Your path could not be determined. Undecided - see counselor.” I broke the test. I go see my counselor and she looks at me and asks, “What is it exactly that you want to do in your career? What do you want to do with your life; where are you going, Seán?” I responded with my laundry list of exciting ideas I desired, “I would like to draw, paint, sculpt, and be a musician. I want to do lighting design for shows, live audio, tour as a musician, preach, make movies, and act.” She looks at me and says, "You're never going to be able to do all of that, you need to pick one of those things and then you stick with that one thing."
Ever had somebody tell you something and instantly you say to yourself - NO
This can't be. I wasn't upset with my counselor, because as a Believer in Jesus Christ, the Bible says that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. At that point in my life, I thought that meant I could do all the ideas I desired because I have Christ in me. I decided to walk across the street to the junior high school to see my previous counselor who seemed to better understand the creative mind. I explained to him what happened and he asked, “Aren't you a believer?” I said I am. He said, “Can't you do all things through Christ who strengthens you?” I was like, yeah, that's what I thought! I went home to discuss it with my parents. My parents are both creatives as well. My mom can draw, sing and act. My dad can sing, play guitar, and act but he can't draw to save his life. They're very encouraging and invested in my dreams. After explaining the situation to them, they responded with the same verse, Philippians 4:13. A triple confirmation was the hope I needed. I decided I was not going to take the word of the guidance counselor and let it steer my life. I was going to yield what I knew in my heart and pursue the dreams I’d desired since I was a young child.
By the time I was 23, I was able to cross EVERYTHING off that list.
A lot of those desires and talents still make up my career today. I don't share this to go back to my guidance counselor and boast about my success despite her advice and I encourage you if you're getting misguided from a parent, co-worker, teacher, or somebody else in leadership over you, to not get angry with them.
The truth is that if they're not in that same creative mindset, they can't see the world the same way that you do.
There are countless tools for ADHD that I had to learn along the way, but here are three starter tips that helped me effectively move along in this process:
First | Make a List of all of those desires in your heart. If you’re visual, try a vision board with pictures of where you see yourself. Try writing it down on paper or putting it into a vlog that you can watch back later. Make your list of goals using blue sky thinking; a form of creative brainstorming as if there were absolutely no limits, no judgments, and no consequences. The sky's the limit! A lot of us knew what we wanted to do when we were younger and for some of us, that gets beat out of us over time. We find ourselves in an identity crisis. Creating a list can result in finding yourself again.
Second | Revisit the List often. Not every 10 seconds, like watching paint dry, but if you're checking back on it regularly, it's reminding yourself of your priorities. Business leadership emphasizes the importance of consistently casting vision for employees to know where they're effective. Without vision, it’s easy for division to happen. For us Creatives, if we don't keep that Clear Vision of where we see ourselves in the future we can allow external influence to divide our attention. For some of us, it's not on purpose; it's the video games, or going down the YouTube rabbit hole. Before you know it, we are unable to check boxes off our list and our goals seem further out of our grasp.
Third | Decisions that Propel You toward those goals. These decisions can be the purchases you're making, the courses you're taking in high school and college, or the types of videos that you're watching. I'm not saying cut out all fun entertainment, because I don't think that works for Creatives. These decisions help to keep your focus. My dad would ask me, “Does that thing that you want to purchase somehow assist you in your Artistic Endeavors?” Maybe you see something you want because it’s new and shiny. Take a moment and think like Sean’s dad, “Does this aid me in my goals?”
You've made the list, you're revisiting it often, and now you're making decisions that propel you toward those goals. Keep your head up, there is hope, you will make it – I believe in Creatives.
