Re: Major short attention span problem

Posted by Susan on November 30, 2000 at 18:18:48:

In Reply to: Major short attention span problem posted by Margaret on November 30, 2000 at 15:51:44:

lately I have been looking at Attention Deficit Disorder. I hate to think that this could be a problem....but I have such disorganization in my life where there is no pressure or structure. I am not sure exactly what I think about ADD. I mean I don't want to create a disorder. And I have not gotten a formal opinion on it. But, it would explain a lot of things in my life. I mean I have a fairly decent IQ....I was tested in 5th grade and they said it was above average a good bit. I never really made bad grades but I did not knock the top out of anything either. My grades would never be consistent ....it was always a barage of As, Bs, & Cs. I hated math. I used to feel really dumb because I could not keep the As consistently. I was painfully aware that I was falling short of my abilities but I was clueless as to what to do about it. I did try really hard. I realize it had something to do with how interesting I thought something was. The more interest I had, the better the grades.... the grades slipped on the stuff that bored me. Plus, I think that the rote way of learning in public schools is really not that effective with children who have a creative mind. I was often told by my teachers that I was very creative but that I just did not apply myself. This did not help my self image that much. Thankfully, I had really supportive parents, they never gave me a hard time about my grades. They always seemed to know how I tried and they were proud of me.

Anyway in college for a career I chose graphic design because it allowed me to use what I do best. Be creative, brainstorm and draw. Also it allows for a lot of projects and different ways to accomplish things. As an adult though I still have had to deal with some aspects of being a graphic designer that bother me. For instance I don't like the mechanical, technical, measuring and computer print/output production part that much. I had to really bend myself to learn that part of it. It always has to be perfect. I guess I have just adjusted myself to realize that I have to take the good with the bad on any job. To do the fun stuff, I have to do the hard stuff. I will admit that it does cause a bit of stress trying to make things perfect all the time. I always get a yucky feeling in my stomach when I have to deal with that part of it.

I don't know if there is an answer for people who have this style of thinking. We are consistently inconsistent. There is always a yearning for change. The only thing I can say is the more pressure I create for myself the better job I do....but then I start resenting the pressure. I think the best we can do is to just find a happy medium, a job that allows you to do some things you love and a bit of structure to keep you productive. I guess I am really thankful for structure in a way.....without it, I go splat.

I know I wandered all over the place with this message......but I think I got out what I was trying to say. I hope it helped a little, Margaret.

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