It’s always felt a bit off to me that so many neurodivergent people like to say how creativity is a neurodivergent strength. It’s not that I don’t think neurodivergent people aren’t creative, but everyone seems to at least start their lives being that way. Only now as adults, many people all of a sudden aren’t?! It’s as if since we couldn’t conform as expected, it became, “we’re not different, we’re just morecreative.” A good way to excuse our differences while suggesting how we could still be beneficial for society, perhaps??? Creativity is a strength for people, but maybe it’s about how bigger problems in society remain hidden when we insist on it being a uniquely neurodivergent one.
Jul 24, 2022·edited Jul 24, 2022Liked by Sandra Coral
I remember one time I shared a post on IG about asking my son to teach me to draw something. And he said something like, “how did you forget?” “I can teach you to draw but why did you forget how to?” And he didn’t think about how profound that was at the time, but it was. I think we are all creative but the demands of life can put out that light. We become too focused on surviving. Once we become adults it’s as if most things that are considered creative are also considered “child’s play.” A hobby? Something to do on the side? The weekend? But never something one works deliberately at.
I always say - if you're gifted in some way, creatively or whatever, you would be gifted even if you were not neurodivergent. It's part of who you are. Not because*** of your neurotype.
Omg sandra I can’t wait to hear more thoughts on this if you end up sharing them - because your laser intersectional matrix views are 10000% obvs gonna be revelatory, as is this - because yes you’re articulating the whole icky icky thing of - like, it confuses me if anything because I guess the thing ur describing of “excusing the parts of ND society hates” relates to how stressed I feel that so many “super prolific creative people” ARENT / weren’t ND - like , is a non ND creative person then “better” their ND counterpart??? And also WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOCIETY DOESNT GIVE A SHIT about the kind of creativity that ND person manifests - when my creativity makes me restrategise and reinvent the wheel every single time I do ANYTHING basic, no one is patting me on the back or giivng me innovation awards - they’re sighing, critsising, or at best, tolerating - ggagahhhhz . Thank you for posting this, I’ve long found it depressing the whole “creative” thing ESPESH given it’s got me absolutely nowhere in jobs and companies that claim to “thrive on creativity and innovation” fuck their narrow definition of those words! Xxxx
aren’t we all a little creative thou?
I remember one time I shared a post on IG about asking my son to teach me to draw something. And he said something like, “how did you forget?” “I can teach you to draw but why did you forget how to?” And he didn’t think about how profound that was at the time, but it was. I think we are all creative but the demands of life can put out that light. We become too focused on surviving. Once we become adults it’s as if most things that are considered creative are also considered “child’s play.” A hobby? Something to do on the side? The weekend? But never something one works deliberately at.
I always say - if you're gifted in some way, creatively or whatever, you would be gifted even if you were not neurodivergent. It's part of who you are. Not because*** of your neurotype.
Omg sandra I can’t wait to hear more thoughts on this if you end up sharing them - because your laser intersectional matrix views are 10000% obvs gonna be revelatory, as is this - because yes you’re articulating the whole icky icky thing of - like, it confuses me if anything because I guess the thing ur describing of “excusing the parts of ND society hates” relates to how stressed I feel that so many “super prolific creative people” ARENT / weren’t ND - like , is a non ND creative person then “better” their ND counterpart??? And also WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOCIETY DOESNT GIVE A SHIT about the kind of creativity that ND person manifests - when my creativity makes me restrategise and reinvent the wheel every single time I do ANYTHING basic, no one is patting me on the back or giivng me innovation awards - they’re sighing, critsising, or at best, tolerating - ggagahhhhz . Thank you for posting this, I’ve long found it depressing the whole “creative” thing ESPESH given it’s got me absolutely nowhere in jobs and companies that claim to “thrive on creativity and innovation” fuck their narrow definition of those words! Xxxx