From Mockery to Masterpiece: An ADHD Artist’s Triumph of Love and Self-Discovery

All of my childhood years, even before my diagnosis with ADHD I've been told that I'll never make anything of myself, I'm stupid, unable to learn, a lost cause. Sometimes these words were said out loud, but mostly I could read people, their disgusted expressions were printed-so obvious on their smug faces, and their superiority told me I was nothing. A stupid child undeserving and unable to gain knowledge, made a mockery in front of my classmates by teachers who never understood my differences. 

This is how they painted me in their minds, my teachers could never comprehend my potential. It was all so crystal clear none of them ever wanted to. During that time, even as a child my love for art is what drove me forward-through the dark days when I couldn't even catch a glimpse of the light near the end of the tunnel. Everything was black, and there were many days when I felt all was lost. 

Even my mother ditched me when she lost all contact privileges after being called out for neglect in court. After that, I meant nothing. She was free and didn't have to worry about taking care of me anymore, no, I was left under the care of my father and step mother. 

My father being the good dad he was, didn't have my back the way I needed him to. When left under the “care” of lady Tremain (the step moms name from Cinderella) things got increasingly worse. Everyday I was fat shamed and made fun of by her and my step brother. My life was steadily turning into a living nightmare, all of it happening so fast, without any time to prepare. Everything my father and I did together changed and every bit of it for the worst. She was sucking the life from my father and I until -what once was a loving home, transformed to a place filled with hostility and aggression.

It wasn't until I met my spouse that my life started to look a little brighter. Each day I spent with them was a blessing. He has filled my life with meaning, and for the first time in forever I felt safe. When everyone doubted me and saw only a quiet girl that was easily manipulated, he was something else. Even to this day I can't explain what it was he saw in me. 

Now, I still struggle to set myself free from the shell inside my mind, made to keep me safe from the world, but things are definitely looking up. My amazing husband has lifted my spirits and showered me with love in ways no one else has. I no longer let the people from my past who doubted my intellect control what I'm capable of. Self doubt no longer eats away the parts of my brain that told me I could write, or create wonderful works of art. 

With the aid of my husband's hand I have been lifted from the dark tunnel and into the light, where I'm able to see myself clearly. Where I'm free to read about psychology, philosophy, spirituality, and all forms of knowledge that speaks to me and has shaped my world for the better. 

I have written a great number of articles for neurodivergent minds, spoke to many advocates, learned from them and shared my own perspectives with others as well, all for a greater cause. Creating tattoo art has become a source of joy and an action of transforming intense emotions into a creative outlet. I'm also writing several  fiction books (two to be exact and both are part of a Duology) . I see myself as living proof that even when all seems lost and you feels as if you're nothing, that you are capable of rising from the ashes and creating the inevitable! You are never nothing and I hope my story will bring some peace to those who are looking for that same light at the end of the tunnel.