Thank you for the mention, this article really resonated with me. I was recently diagnosed with adult ADD, and it’s helped me understand why I’ve struggled with motivation, intention, and thinking about the future. At first, it felt like I lost my sense of identity. But now I’m starting to work with how I’m actually wired, instead of against it, and that’s been genuinely helpful.
So glad to hear that you've been experiencing that helpful shift. Sometimes labels and diagnoses etc are unhelpful but sometimes they are great for the transition to a reframe and a new way of understanding ourselves.
This is such a beautiful, thoughtful piece. I really appreciate how honest you are about the messiness and wisdom that come with change. The way you reframe the “beginner” feeling and remind us of what persists underneath the tools really resonates with me. Your writing is always a comfort, and I’m grateful you put words to something so many of us quietly experience.
This is great encouragement for those going through transitions, but also for those simply expanding their boundaries. I think of such knowledge transfer in music, that once you learn one instrument, additional instruments are easier because you already have a sense of how to learn along with many transferable fundamentals. The ability to see, similarly, is a core skill for drawing and painting, obviously, but also photography. I would say that visual acuity also applies to a medium like dance and even creative writing, because both involve the ability to visualize something clearly. Similarly, sensibilities around colors can apply in visual arts, fiber arts (my wife is a quilter), and even music, where color is expressed more as moods--just think of how different music can evoke a sense of color.
On top of all those specifics, I would think that "artistry" itself is a transferrable skill across all mediums, especially when one considers art as the complement to "science." Scientific sensibilities, e.g. the scientific method, is obviously transferrable across all scientific disciplines. Why, then, would artistic sensibilities not be transferrable across artistic modes?
For myself, I'm also on a journey from a career as a technical writer to a creative writer--although these disciples differ significantly on the science-art dimension, they share many other sensibilities, such as the basic ability to transfer thoughts into written words. Yes, I have to cut new grooves in my brain for the creative side, but many of the mechanics are already in place.
So well said. I kept coming back thinking that I'd respond with something deeper than that but honestly I think you said it so well and just want you to know that your words resonated!
Thank you for the mention, this article really resonated with me. I was recently diagnosed with adult ADD, and it’s helped me understand why I’ve struggled with motivation, intention, and thinking about the future. At first, it felt like I lost my sense of identity. But now I’m starting to work with how I’m actually wired, instead of against it, and that’s been genuinely helpful.
So glad to hear that you've been experiencing that helpful shift. Sometimes labels and diagnoses etc are unhelpful but sometimes they are great for the transition to a reframe and a new way of understanding ourselves.
This is such a beautiful, thoughtful piece. I really appreciate how honest you are about the messiness and wisdom that come with change. The way you reframe the “beginner” feeling and remind us of what persists underneath the tools really resonates with me. Your writing is always a comfort, and I’m grateful you put words to something so many of us quietly experience.
Thank you so much for sharing when it resonates. It helps me know I'm on track with the work I'm moved to do.
This is great encouragement for those going through transitions, but also for those simply expanding their boundaries. I think of such knowledge transfer in music, that once you learn one instrument, additional instruments are easier because you already have a sense of how to learn along with many transferable fundamentals. The ability to see, similarly, is a core skill for drawing and painting, obviously, but also photography. I would say that visual acuity also applies to a medium like dance and even creative writing, because both involve the ability to visualize something clearly. Similarly, sensibilities around colors can apply in visual arts, fiber arts (my wife is a quilter), and even music, where color is expressed more as moods--just think of how different music can evoke a sense of color.
On top of all those specifics, I would think that "artistry" itself is a transferrable skill across all mediums, especially when one considers art as the complement to "science." Scientific sensibilities, e.g. the scientific method, is obviously transferrable across all scientific disciplines. Why, then, would artistic sensibilities not be transferrable across artistic modes?
For myself, I'm also on a journey from a career as a technical writer to a creative writer--although these disciples differ significantly on the science-art dimension, they share many other sensibilities, such as the basic ability to transfer thoughts into written words. Yes, I have to cut new grooves in my brain for the creative side, but many of the mechanics are already in place.
So well said. I kept coming back thinking that I'd respond with something deeper than that but honestly I think you said it so well and just want you to know that your words resonated!
I'm delighted to hear that. :)