The ADD Mythology (Part 4)

Notes to the Reader:

1. This blog post was written by Betsy Davenport.
2. Betsy detests the term “ADDer,” but she couldn’t come up with anything else. As Editor-in-Chief and blog owner, I’ve decided to use the term “ADDer.”

{{———- ////////// \\\\\\\\\\———-}}

Myth No. 4: ADDers are More Creative
As for creativity, it cannot be true that all the most creative people have AD/HD. There are more creative things to do than spend a morning searching for your woodworking tools, finding them dull and a bit rusted from the damp because you failed, in your haste last month to multitask your way to something more fun, to rub a bit of oil onto the blades. And, there are more creative things to do than have creative ideas; doesn’t “create” mean “to make something?” The ideas themselves might amuse us, but unless they result in something more or less material in nature, “creative” is a myth.

Those thoughts may travel fast, but if you can’t catch them, what good is winning the race for who can think fastest? We are generally frustrated when they go above the speed limit and disappear over our mental horizon before we can hitch a ride and guide them to a destination worthy of them, and our efforts. Details? They are important. The telephone call to the psychiatrist before a holiday weekend, registering for your child’s – or your own – summer drama class, having stamps in the house when you have things to mail, placing warranty papers in a file labeled for quick retrieval when the washing machine fails, turning off the oven when dinner is cooked, putting things away when you’re through using them… Dull, crashingly dull, I know; especially when your Brain (technically in charge of keeping track of these things more or less outside your immediate awareness) has taken a walk and it’s your Mind left behind to supervise. Your Mind has, indeed, much more interesting things to do, yet if you’re going to have a sensible life, you’ve got to press it into service anyway.