Introducing “Creating with Neurodiversity”
For the past seven years, I’ve dabbled on and off with trying to make a career out of content creation. Like most people, I’ve run into a lot of challenges along the way. Like many, I’ve given up several times, because I didn’t have the right combination of information and motivation to succeed.
There are a lot of factors that went into my struggle to become a creator, but one of them is that I’m neurodiverse — I have both ADHD and autism, a combination sometimes referred to as “AuDHD”. More importantly, I didn’t really understand how that combination of abnormal brain function was affecting my ability to produce content.
My lack of understanding has led to a lot of frustration over the years. I kept trying to follow the best advice I could find on starting a content creation career (whether or not it was actually good advice, I still don’t really know), but it felt like I was hitting walls at every turn.
A few months ago, I saw an article — I can’t remember where or who wrote it, and I wish I could, because I’d love to give them credit for it — talking about how most content-creation-business advice just doesn’t work for neurodiverse creators. Our brains function differently enough than neurotypical people that a lot of “conventional wisdom” doesn’t work for us. Instead, we have to create our own ways of doing things.
That idea — ways of creating content designed specifically for neurodiverse creators — has been rattling around in my head ever since.
When I started looking into publishing articles on Medium, I didn’t really have a niche in mind. I struggled to think of one, because that’s what a lot of content-creation advice suggests. That lasted until I found another article (again, I don’t remember who wrote it, and I wish I did so I could link it here) suggesting that niches were pointless for neurodiverse creators. The author’s reasoning was that our tendency to bounce across topics is a strength, not a weakness. Since then, I’ve come across other articles by people like Tim Denning and Zulie Rane suggesting that having a niche isn’t as important when you’re starting out (or at all) as many creators think it is.
Now, Tim and Zulie’s articles stirred up some convincing responses for the other side of the argument, and I’m personally undecided on whether I’ll need a niche or not. I’m not here to argue one way or the other — because the argument that “you don’t need a niche” has, paradoxically, led to me finding a niche.
That niche is content-creation advice tailored for neurodiverse creators.
I’m convinced there are a lot of us out there, who would have a better shot at making a successful life for themselves if they just had the right information. I know I feel a lot better about the prospect of making content creation my lifestyle now that I know more about how my neurodiversity works, and can put that knowledge to work to help myself become a better creator. There must be others out there who would benefit from the same knowledge.
And thus, this publication was born.
If you’re a neurodiverse person looking to dip their toes into content creation, a neurodiverse creator looking for ways to get ahead, or a neurotypical person who’s interested in seeing how the other half lives, give us a follow. I’m looking forward to seeing where the journey takes us.
