Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most studied mental disorder. It was first described not long after the Penny Black stamp kicked off the posting revolution. I know this fact, because remembering huge amounts of trivia is part and parcel of ADHD.
My working memory, on the other hand, is absolutely shocking. Every time I leave for a shoot, I have to go back three times for the things I’ve forgotten and still I often manage to forget something. I’ve learned to mitigate this with extra essentials left in bags and in the studio.
ADHD enables you to hyperfocus on things and become proficient in a very short space of time, only to suddenly have your interest run out completely. The only proof is the very expensive gear you bought for it – and you’ll never even look at it again.
It’s all part of the ADHD Tax – having to pay for things you never use, paying fines because you forgot to sort a bill or having to rebuy something you misplaced.
You have great pattern recognition and can come up with interesting ideas that are original and creative, because your mind is constantly making new connections in an aid to outrunning boredom. God no, not the boredom.
If we have no interest, there is nothing we can do to make our brains work to do the thing. It doesn’t matter how much money we could make, how attractive the girl or boy is, how tasty the food might be… we physically can’t do it, no matter how much we actually want to.
ADHD stems from dopamine deficiency. The main way this is exhibited is as emotional dysregulation. You don’t know how long tasks take or how to prioritize them. When presented with a list of tasks (because there’s no way you’d remember them), you can become overwhelmed.
The result? You do nothing – or, worse, lash out, because of a low frustration tolerance.
So how does this affect the photographer? Well, if you’ve managed to get through the hyperfocus and still love shooting and editing, congratulations, you may have a lifelong interest.
The pattern recognition gives you great compositional skills and the banter to instantly befriend new photographers you meet. You’re easily inspired by the new and can shoot a wide variety of styles.
The bad? You can be poor at backups, slow at editing and go for weeks without shooting as interest wanes. There is help. Medication can make a huge difference, facilitating focus when needed, but still having the natural brain chaos for forming new ideas when it wears off.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (also known as CBT) can give you healthy coping strategies to survive and understand important things, like task breakdown and why laundry is a cycle, not a one-and-done chore.
Gen X is especially bad for undiagnosed ADHD, and it will get progressively worse. ADHD is genetic and the joke now is that parents get it from the kids; the kids get diagnosed sooner, and the parents see the traits in them and go for diagnoses.
If you think you might have it, get checked. Everyone forgets keys, loses things, can’t finish tasks, or get out of bed some days. But if it’s debilitating and interfering with your life on a daily basis, it may be more than just forgetfulness or mild depression. Do it today, because procrastination is so ADHD.
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If you don't have the compositional superpower, check out these common compositional mistakes and how to avoid them. To make your backing up life easier, take a look at the best SSDs and best portable SSDs.
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