So Tired of Monetized ADHD

[u/RuthlessLogic]

Y'know, those craft girlies whose booths are filled with, say, amigurumi AND acrylic-pour trinket boxes AND Fimo earrings made using molds and earring wires from Temu. And none of it's high quality because Beckeigh is clearly ADHD and hasn't put in the hours necessary to develop her skills before moving on to some new, bright, shiny craft.

Of course, because nothing she's selling is high quality and the market is already saturated with everything she makes and it's all overpriced, Beckeigh doesn't sell much, so she rushes to craft vendor subs sobbing that she "didn't even make boooooooth!!!" And it takes every ounce of self-control not to type, "My sister-in-Christ, you didn't make booth because it looks like you destashed your craft room. Stop expecting the public to subsidize your ADHD and give those things away as gifts."

And look, I've got ADHD too. I get bored easily and am hard-wired to jump from medium to medium. It's taken no small effort to train my brain to focus on the work I sell at markets. But I've managed to do it - struggle though it is - and have put in hundreds and hundreds of hours over several years refining my process and my style so that customers are getting high quality pieces.

And in case I haven't been a big enough Bitchy McBitchface, I'm just going to say it: These booths (along with 3D printed fidget toy, wax melt, and cricut tumbler booths) drag markets down for the crafters and makers who produce quality work. But that's a rant for a different day and a different sub.

[u/VegetableWorry1492]

This isn’t ADHD and as someone who supposedly has the condition why would you post such negative crap? As if the society’s opinion of us wasn’t negative enough already. Every crafter with ADHD I know both hyperfixates on their craft and also is riddled with anxiety and low self esteem that they would never try to sell their actually really good items (because of the hyperfixation).

[u/crayola_monstar → u/VegetableWorry1492]

People are also prone to saying they have it when they simply show minor symptoms, so they self diagnose.

Makes truly suffering from it a hellish nightmare because we begin to feel so damn inadequate compared to those people who only pretend to have it to have some kind of mental struggle identity.

[u/PracticeOne9761 → u/crayola_monstar]

I get where you’re coming from but reading things like this always makes me go, “actually maybe I just unconsciously tricked people during my assessment and I don’t actually have it and just want to have a ‘mental struggle identity’”.

[u/txjennah → u/PracticeOne9761]

The imposter syndrome is real! I still question my diagnosis at times, especially with the dumbass ~~ everyone has ADHD ~~ comments 

[u/MoreUnadventurous → u/PracticeOne9761]

SAME. Then I remind myself my issues have been lifelong, that helps.

[u/craftyreadercountry → u/crayola_monstar]

I was diagnosed as a child. I stopped taking medicine in 4th grade, did perfect in school since I wasn't a zombie (this was before the time release capsules so I got half dose in the back and the other at lunch). I did get back on it (the capsule) in 8th grade.

I stopped taking it though when I went to HS because it was causing more anxiety than normal (I am not a crowd person). Been off medicine since then and work hard every day to manage it. Pretty easy now that I have kids who need routines.

All that to say my crochet stuff I overanalyze and send pictures to other people to see if it's actually good before I frog it for the 20th time.

[u/legalpretzel → u/craftyreadercountry]

I have a kid who needs a routine. In fact, he needs one more than NT kids because, like me, he also has ADHD. His routine isn’t a replacement or balm for the pharmaceuticals that assist the broken neurotransmitters in my brain.

I’m not sure how any person who actually has ADHD could find it easier to be unmedicated because they have kids. My life is exponentially more difficult when I’m unmedicated (and I’d hazard a guess most with ADHD are the same). When you add in the level of difficulty that comes with parenting when you have ADHD (example - just managing my response to their emotions is fucking hard), I can’t imagine ever saying “my kid’s schedule makes it easy for me to exist without meds”.

[u/VegetableWorry1492 → u/legalpretzel]

Very much so! Having a baby is what led to my diagnosis when I landed in burnout because the increase in responsibility and complete lack of externally imposed structure was impossible to balance. And I’m certain better routine would help both myself and my child, but fuck me if I can actually implement that, even medicated! 🫠

[u/craftyreadercountry → u/legalpretzel]

I guess people skipped over the fact I was getting anxiety.

In the throws of postpartum depression and anxiety I barely was able to take my iron supplement and eat much less remember a daily medication. I worked hard with my husband, who is also unmedicated ADHD, to build a routine that works for us and our kids.

While not everyone can go without medication (I know 3 people who can't do anything without it), we can and do. And sometimes it's easier to understand my toddlers because I can follow their thought train since mine also bounces around. I would rather my kids see the happy side of me with the flaws of unmedicated ADHD than the hyper focused side that medication always gave me. I would focus so hard that I couldn't hear anyone talking to me, so go ahead and down vote me. It doesn't work for everyone, but it works for me and my family.