(English isn't my first langage, so sorry if this is hard to read) I've never been diagnosed, but I've been struggling with many symptoms associated with neurodivergence for my whole life. Here's how they affect my art : - Difficulty transitioning : switching "modes" requires extra time and energy, which may look like procrastinating but is actually my brain trying to adapt to a different context for a different task. It usually takes me a few hours to a full day just to get started on a different type of tasks. This means it's a lot more productive for me to group similar tasks together and dedicate at least an entire day to a specific type, if possible. Exemples : a) art, b) house chores/cleaning, c) outdoor work/gardening, d) making calls/answering emails. These are all separate categories, and the less I have to jump between them, the less time and energy I waste. - Hypersensitivity : sometimes a blessing, sometimes a curse. (like when my clothes feel weird for some reason) However when it comes to art, it's mostly a gift. I'm more sensitive to nuances and details than most people, and my tastes are more refined. (not trying to brag here) I believe it allows me to create work of greater overall quality. I suspect it also makes it more difficult for me to be satisfied with my own work, because I set the bar very high. - Being detail-oriented (micro vs macro) : I'm naturally inclined to notice and work on details (micro) first instead of looking at the big picture (macro). This lead to the creation of many artworks that were incohesive, lacked harmony, had too much going on and/or had an uncanny feel to them. (especially when I was working on individual face features instead of considering the whole structure of the head) Gesture drawing was my greatest weakness and I just couldn't figure out what I was supposed to see/do. In fact, that is how I discovered Proko : I was desperate to find someone who could actually teach me about figure drawing. After observing and copying Stan's work, I eventually got better at it, little by little. I don't think I'll ever be a figure drawing genius, and seeing the whole picture is always going to require a conscious effort on my part, but I'm miles away from where I started. I'm really glad I developed that muscle. - Time blindness : it's impossible for me to estimate how long a drawing (or any task, really) is going to take. Couple that with a tendency to overwork details and perfectionism, and there is no way I'm able to respect deadlines. This has been a huge issue throughout my schooling. I still haven't figured it out. - Anxiety/low self-esteem/periods of depression : atypical brain functioning affects your ability to handle tasks, to fit in and connect with others, to regulate your emotions, and so much more. It just makes everyday life harder for most neurodivergent people. The cumulated mental charge, stress, feelings of loneliness and failure can lead to chronic/episodes of anxiety/depression, which can really impact your motivation and ability to focus on drawing and painting. - Rigid-thinking : this one hasn't been a personal issue, but one I ran into when I tried to teach oil painting to a friend of mine who was diagnosed with ASD. He could be very stubborn at times, often believing that his subjective perceptions were objective reality. To show him that colors weren't always what they seemed (especially to the untrained eye) due to their relation to other surrounding colors, I had to use the color picker in Photoshop and show him that the "true colors" of an object weren't the ones he expected. To convince him that the proportions of an object weren't right in his drawing, I had to use grids, otherwise he wouldn't believe me. In other words, the only way to get him to consider that his assumptions could be wrong was to offer him some "objective" evidence he couldn't deny. In the end, no two neurodivergent brains function in the same way, even when they have the same diagnosis. I think the key is to really try to understand yourself, work with what you have (or don't have), and have compassion for yourself. Maybe it's because art is a very meditative process for me, but I usually feel more calm and grounded after a drawing session. I feel like I'm doing exactly what I need to be doing. As for your last question, it's funny but I never thought about using my art as a way to cope with my atypical brain, not consciously at least. Art is something I picked up when I was very young because I really enjoyed it. I guess it did compensate for my neurodivergence though : since I had difficulty connecting with others at school, I decided to be "the artist" of the class. People would interact with me because of my art, which was great at first, but eventually led me to believe that I could only be loved for of my art. Then, that thought evolved to "I only deserve to live if I can make art that is good enough." At that point, art became poison. It took me years after to develop a healthy relationship to art again, and that was only possible after learning to love myself. All that was a long time ago. Now I see my art as a representation of me, my likes and dislikes, my inclinations and conscious choices, my strengths and weaknesses. The world is vast, and someone is bound to connect with my creations. Plus, it can still act as a good conversation starter.

I have dealt with adhd and ocd and it hinders my work. Art demands mental focus and when I find myself unable to focus I end up putting my projects on hold until I feel better. I also have episodes of insomnia sometimes which leaves me too tired during the day. On such days as well I might have put things on hold because I can't focus.

I have symptoms of ADHD and, it's not good haha! Takes forever to start drawing, draw one thing and get distracted, etc.

Well I know Van Gogh was schizophrenic