Creative Visionaries: Challenging Labels

A few months back there was a TV special about Leonardo da Vinci in which several "experts" suggested that Leonardo's many diverse interests indicated that he probably suffered from ADHD.

They picked through the events of his life, noted instances at the end of his life when he didn't complete some paintings for which he had been commissioned, and pointed out that in his 67 years on earth that he only managed to complete 17 paintings. (Whoa--what an under-achiever! Only 17 masterpieces ;-))

They also alleged that because he was a gifted anatomist, architect, astronomer, engineer, inventor, painter, and sculptor, that he must have had problems with staying on task.

They argued that if he didn't have an attention deficit problem then he would have just picked a field and focused all his energy in that one direction (you know, like a "normal" person). 

Case closed. The guy must have had ADHD!

Now this negative labeling of possibly the most creative and talented human to ever grace our planet kind of irked me.

Why does this bother me?

Because it's destructive (and inaccurate) to look at someone or something that we don't understand, someone who does not fit any pre-conceived molds, and decide to define them based on our limited idea of what is normal.

Imagine if when Leonardo was alive if people had told him that his amazing abilities were the result of a disorder, an area of deficiency, rather than a gift.

How would that have made him feel about himself? How would that have affected his enthusiasm for his various passions?

Perhaps it's just human nature to label things, but we have to be careful when we're tagging other people with judgements that have negative connotations.

Once applied, it's extremely difficult for us to fend off a negative label, especially when the person labeling us is a parent, a teacher or someone else we look up to.

For many of us, we just accept the labels people put on us as true, rather than looking for a more positive, gentle and accurate way that we could describe ourselves.

I stumbled on this whole "negative labeling" train of thought a few days ago in a conversation I was having with a friend who is an extremely successful business man.

Like Leonardo (and like all other entrepreneurs and creators throughout history), instead of choosing from the pre-made list of "normal" jobs (doctor, fireman, lawyer, etc.) this friend of mine invented his job based on his unique talents and interests. He is a trailblazer in his field and probably the only person on the planet who does his type of work.

When talking about his entrepreneurism, I felt like he was playing down his obvious skills and accomplishments when he said, "I barely passed high school without going crazy ... I have major authority issues."

For some reason the statement "I have major authority issues" stuck in my head.

This concept is not new--I've heard other people suggest that the reason why entrepreneurs work for themselves is because they have authority issues and can't function in a traditional office environment.

I have to imagine that the first person who pinned this label on entrepreneurs was NOT an entrepreneur! :-) The person who made up this label was just trying to define this "entrepreneur" he was puzzled by with concepts that he understood.

Entrepreneurism is no more the result of a personality deficiency than Leonardo's extreme creativity and talent across a wide array of fields is the result of ADHD!

The next day, I told my friend,

"You said you had a problem with authority, but I was thinking that what is really the truth is that you are a creative visionary and being cramped by convention stifles you. You need more freedom and independence in order to express your special gifts."

Now the new label I gave him of "creative visionary" is a much more gentle, positive description.

It's also more accurate, because we all know that many people have problems with authority both in and out of the corporate world, but that certainly doesn't mean that they can invent and grow a thriving business.

Only an extremely skilled creative visionary could accomplish such a feat.

By the same token, Leonardo was a gifted anatomist, architect, astronomer, engineer, inventor, painter, and sculptor because he was a creative visionary, not because he couldn't focus.

I'm thinking that The Last Supper and The Mona Lisa took a good bit of time, skill, and mental focus to execute. Your average person with or without ADHD could not have created those masterpieces!

And the whole thing about why did he only finish 17 paintings in his lifetime--exactly how many masterpieces did they want him to complete? Isn't 17 masterpieces about 17 more than most of us paint?!

Geez--talk about hard to please!

I bring this topic of negative labeling up because the messages we repeat to ourselves hold the power to shape us and identify us.

Here's a little exercise I'd like you to do every time a negative thought about yourself pops into your mind. Ask yourself:

• What evidence do I have to back this up?
• Are the expectations I'm holding myself up to realistic?
• Do I have everything in perspective or am I exaggerating one of my faults?
• Is there another more positive way of looking at this?
• Does thinking of myself in this way build me up or tear me down?

Then, I'd like you to take the negative thought and replace it with a positive one. Example:

Old thought: "I'm an entrepreneur because I have authority issues and didn't go to college."

More empowering thought: "I'm a creative visionary, and I enjoy taking risks. I thrive in an environment where I have more freedom and independence."

It's important that we pay attention to the labels that we sometimes carelessly pin on people, and also the labels that we often unconsciously accept.

If we're not mindful, we can end up thinking bad things about ourselves and not appreciating and being proud of our true gifts and accomplishments.

When the words we say to ourselves are positive, we're more likely to achieve our goals.

Words, thoughts and perceptions are power.

Comments

[Gavin Heaton]

Your blog just keeps getting better and better ... I am loving the stories and the way you pull them together!

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Thank you Gavin, that means a lot to me.

And it never ceases to amaze me the psychic connection you and I have with the posting and commenting!

I post, then I go to the blog and then there's your comment! Magic, and immediate gratification. :-)

[David Wick]

I couldn't disagree more with your premise that an ADHD label is somehow "negative". I work at a major research University and myself and many of my friends who are PhD's and Postdocs are proud to be ADHD. In many cases the most intellegent and creative of them have the 'worst' ADHD.

On a side note it's funny that Leonardo and ADHD is only now being talked about. I remember visisting a Leonardo exhibit 15 years ago at the Boston Museum of Science and instantly thinking, "cool, he must of have ADHD jsut like me..."

[Damiano]

I know and worked on the Web/Networking/PLC-Embedded but this is too much for my new customers. They basically say that I could not possibly know the three fields...
The end result is that they hire people that have a narrow and incomplete knowledge... simply mad.

[justin]

I have to agree with David on this one. I also have ADHD and am proud of it. I see it as a way of explaining why I'm the way I am, thus allowing me to accept and embrace the possibilities it opens up.

[Jack9]

There's nothing negative about ADHD or schizophrenia or any other "disorder" outside of the unfortunate nomenclature. Nomenclature shouldn't be the sole way to decide the effect of a behavior. I'd love my girlfriend to be "afflicted" by nyphomania.

[A Clinical Psychologist]

It's funny to hear all these terms being thrown around and misused and then saying everyone's proud of their disorder. If it's a disorder, then that means it's causing disability, distress, or dysfunction. If it's not causing any of those d's - you don't have a disorder... you're just different.

AND WHICH experts say he has AD/HD? If he really did, he wouldn't be able to finish any work (unless it's a mild form of AD/HD).

It sounds in all likelihood that the problem De Vinci is being described as having is HYPOMANIA. Which is a more mild form of Bipolar I. Artists/creative types love manic episodes. It's what comes after it that sucks.

AD/HD is what we call the "trash can diagnosis" and these days anytime a (sloppy) therapist/psychologist/psychiatrist/neurologist is a little confused as to what someone has, they diagnose them with AD/HD. (Attention is the first cognitive functioning to go if you have ANY problem at all - so AD/HD sounds like it "fits" at any time).

And Jack9... I hope you aren't serious about nothing negative about schizophrenia. If you've ever met any real schizophrenic, you would know the suffering they go through -- even without the societal factors.

[D2]

I would also like to disagree that ADHD is a negative label. It is simply a blunt explanation for the way one is. I myself was diagnosed with ADD (being far from hyperactive). I was grateful for the understanding that it brought, and resentful towards those who were to ignorant to relies that it wasn't a bad thing.
So the next time you meet someone who is ADHD Sarmiento, don't treat them like they are handicapped.

[Alan Bradford]

I'm also confused with the stigma you're putting on the condition. Just because someone has ADHD does not mean they are doomed to a life of incomplete projects and frantic disorganization. Before being diagnosed with ADHD, I spent quite a bit of time researching the conditions and characteristics of the condition. (One interesting factoid: someone with ADHD often has the ability to "hyperfocus" on a task or project. This could perhaps explain da Vinci's ability to create his masterpieces.)

I have been taking Strattera since last June, and have noticed an enormous change in my ability to focus and get things accomplished. I have always been a very creative and off-the-wall person, and I don't feel like my creativity has diminished because of the medication. Of all the other comments from fellow ADHD "sufferers", I will have to agree that it has sort of become a strength instead of a disability/weakness for me.

Sharon, I would hope that you would do a little more research before adding to the negative light that seems to always be cast on ADHD.

Peace out.

[jazzdonkey]

I respect the views of "A Clinical Psychologist", however, I disagree with the aforementioned views insofar that ADHD is not a disorder. First, it is recognized by the DSM IV. Second, it DOES cause disability, distress, and dysfunction. For instance, my inabililty to finish MOST projects is a result of ADHD, hence unable to perform or a result of a disability; because my disability makes it harder for me to advance in a given area, it begets misofortune and misery otherwise known as distress; these positions are created by a disturbance of neurons in my brain that causes the functioning of my brain to fall outside the realm of "societal norms", this constitutes as a dysfunction. This makes ADHD a disorder.

Also, people with ADHD are able to finish work. I have completed a vast array of work, it simply takes much longer to complete due to the lack of focus created by distractions, which tend to happen when your mind ceaslessly wanders. I am not saying that just because one experiences a lack of focus due to distractions means the definitivly have ADHD, for it must usually profoundly conflict with personal life on a regular if not daily basis.

The manic episodes may also be a part of ADHD as a result of the impulsiveness and hyperactivity, not to mention the feelings of distress weighing heavily on a person, these could be considered premises for a manic episode.

While I do agree that ADHD is very commonly misdiagnosed and is in fact the easiest disorder to fake, we must take into account the context in which ADHD was addressed in the article. ADHD was slammed because the author feels that higher forms of art and cognitive ability cannot be acheived by a person afflicted with ADHD. This is clearly a rash misuse of the definition of the disorder. It implicates a profound "lame duck" label to this certain community of PEOPLE. ADHD does not automatically create an uninspired and unable mind, it simply makes focusing harder (in some cases it is actually reported that a sort of hyper focus occurrs in which the person meticulously examines a problem).

I am not advocating for or against the position of Da Vinci having ADHD or any other, if any, disorders as I beleive a person has their own right to autonomy, I am simply pointing out that we need to be careful in our judgements and think of our implications towards others when we decide to talk or write about a controversial topic. To truly understand a situation, we must take ourselves out of our own minds and imagine being in the mind of someone else.

[a student with ADD]

Do more research before you write something like this. Having ADD or ADHD is not a negative thing, and it is completely possible to have an attention deficeit disorder AND be a "creative visionary".

"Imagine if when Leonardo was alive if people had told him that his amazing abilities were the result of a disorder, an area of deficiency, rather than a gift."

Imagine how I feel when you post that ADD or ADHD is so 'negative.' By defending da Vinci on the premise that you are protecting his feelings, you just kicked dirt in everyone's face that has those disorders.

"I'm thinking that The Last Supper and The Mona Lisa took a good bit of time, skill, and mental focus to execute. Your average person with or without ADHD could not have created those masterpieces!"

This is absurd. As D2 mentioned, the ability to 'hyperfocus' is often WHY those with ADD cannot get things done. We are too busy paying an extreme amount of time doing one or a few things (such as art, astronomy, anatomy, etc.).

As for the rest of your article, the whole connection with da Vinci is useless because you FAILED to do any research on the topic. And not only that, YOU OPENLY BASHED THOSE WITH A DISORDER.

[scosol]

> Case closed. The guy must have had ADHD!

> Now this negative labeling of possibly the most creative and talented human to ever grace our planet kind of irked me.

That's your problem :)
ADHD is not any kind of "negative labeling".
The current thought is that those who seem to "suffer" from such a "disorder" evolved on a "hunter" line versus a "gatherer" line.

[Sharon Sarmiento]

It looks like many of you didn't read my post beyond the first paragraph and are sort of having an argument here that has to do with previous battles you've been fighting, rather than anything written in this particular article.

Actually, this post is not about ADHD. The post was about labels, and mis-labeling people, especially creative visionaries.

There was no doctor during da Vinci's time who was doing any hands on diagnosing of ADD or ADHD, so in this present day and age for people to start picking out events from his life and saying he definitely had it is unfounded.

I am not putting any "stigma" on the condition that the condition doesn't already naturally entail. ADHD is definitely a disorder, one that complicates peoples lives immensely and one that doctors treat with medication.

Like the psychologist said, "If it's a disorder, then that means it's causing disability, distress, or dysfunction. If it's not causing any of those d's - you don't have a disorder... you're just different."

ADHD is undoubtably a negative label. It's not something that people *hope* to have; it's something people take medication to control.

If it wasn't a negative label, those of you who have it and have commented here would not have responded with such outrage and passion. The responses that have been left here definitely feel like they're the result of pricking an already open wound.

It sounds like many of you are used to people having negative ideas about you when they hear that you have ADHD, and this confirms the approach that the TV show I wrote about was taking when they highlighted unflattering events in Leonardo's life, and then, based on those incidents, alleged that he must have ADHD.

Please note, that the folks in the TV show did not say that Leonardo was creative and immensely talented, and therefore he must have ADHD. They focused in on what they painted as deficiencies in his life, and then tried to say that he must have had ADHD.

I am not alleging that people with ADHD are not valuable or that they don't contribute to society. What I am challenging is the fact that some people have twisted the gifts of a creative genius into being the result of a disorder. This is what happens when people try to label things that they don't understand.

When faced with a creative genius, someone who is unlike anyone else in history, why do we want to figure out what's "wrong" with him? Why not just accept that his eccentricities are part of his gift rather than being a disorder?

It seems like some of the people who have commented here want to believe that Leonardo had ADHD because it makes them feel better about having this disorder themselves, almost as if they could claim this creative genius as being one of their own, that it would elevate them up to his level. This is just confusing the point of this post.

No disrespect intended to any of us, but not one of us is at Leonardo's level.

Negative labels are harmful, and we have to be careful how we throw them around. Those of you who have commented here and who have ADHD know what it feels like to have a negative label pinned to you. Does it really make you feel better to turn around and do the same thing to someone else, someone who isn't here to defend himself?

It's great that you find positive things that come from having ADHD, but let's not glamorize this disorder to be something that people should be flattered to be labeled with.

The truth is Leonardo was a creative genius, unlike anyone who ever walked the planet.There is no need to diagnose him just because he was different. To try to cram him into a mold implies that there was something wrong with the way that he lived and worked.

Leonardo's genius was not an illness. He was a creative visionary.

Now that's a positive label that any person, whether they have ADHD or not, would be proud to wear.:-)

[Gavin Heaton]

I must admit I am surprised by some of the comments coming through here.

My reading is that Sharon was taking issue with the way that labels are used to create boundaries around human endeavor -- and that the TV show had cast ADHD as a "negative" which was her starting point.

Perhaps this context could have been clearer. But as is obvious from the articulate and passionate discussion here, those with or without ADHD have insight and focus to contribute to a greater understanding of ADHD for us all.

[Edward]

Hi,
i love your blog ! Mind to exchange links ? Drop me a comment if you are interested !

Cheers,
Edward

[nick]

this topic is something that applies to everyone, because it says his mental abnormality discredits his genius, but wouldnt it make more sence for a genius to be abnormal? its not normal to be that way, adhd or not. it states that its normal to pick one road and follow it, but in the same sence its also normal for people to base there lives real happiness outside of there work, like love and adventure. so being normal isnt actually normal. quit a paradox. or, its normal, to not be, and to try not to be, and to be and to try to be. fuck work not being your art or gift. da vinci's disposition was a window not often looked through, and we all have a disposition from reality, so its important to say its normal to be different. aaaaahhh headache

[Al]

I'm convinced that most people are vulnerable to sinking into a herdlike, half-conscious state where not disturbing each other's "sleep" is all that matters. It's like adrenaline addiction, but at the other end of the stimulation spectrum. As workplaces have become more standardised and consumer goods have become more reliable, the opportunities for this boredom addiction have grown. Bureaucrats and teachers are amongst the most boredom addicted. Some people happen to be naturally immune to boredom addiction, and retain the faculties their great grandparents took for granted. These days, anyone who thinks, does something effective, asks questions etc. is demonised by the boredom addicted herd first as "non-compliant", then as "defective and disordered". Which is why the 6 million brightest kids in America are being force fed amphetamines every day to make them more gobby and shallow, and every useful adult has been reclassified as mentally handicapped! As a result, the USA (in particular) is moving into a delusional state where it now cannot even manage to clean up the mess caused by hurricane Katrina, and (from the inside) President Bush doesn't look laughable or dishonest. The problem will solve itself. With all useful people demonised as retarded and drugged or criminalised by the boredom addicted herd, the USA is no longer be able to respond to events, and will soon collapse. No-one will care about the collapse, they will be too busy theatrically smirking to "prove" that they are "not to blame". It's heading into the endgame of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged". There the majority "all-agreed" the cleverness of their actions too. There is no need for a strike - the useful people are being stopped by force.

[Alan Bradford]

@Sharon,

I've re-read your original post a few more times, and just read your comment posted yesterday. I really appreciate your clarification and apologize for the blast of passion in my previous comment. I misunderstood your position, and got a little defensive. So sorry. I must have been distracted while reading your post. :)

It's been, and will continue to be, a struggle for me to live with the fact that I have ADHD. Most frustrating, I think, is looking back on my life and wondering what I could have accomplished if my parents would have caught it sooner.

Thanks for the interesting read!

[Verna Wilder]

Wow! What an interesting string of comments, Sharon! I'm glad some people went back to reread your post and see that you're talking about negative labels and you're not being negative about people who have ADHD. I love this post and sent the link to an entrepreneur friend who is so creative I'd love it if he put that title on his business card: Creative Visionary. Of course, he won't. He's also modest. But that's how I'll be thinking of him from now on.
Thanks very much for this post, Sharon.

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hi Verna,

Yes, I know! I spent a lot of time writing this post kind of for someone in particular, a friend of mine, and I thought that the discussion I had had with him that I spoke about in the article was something that most entrepreneurs and creative visionaries could relate to and benefit from.

You can imagine how disturbed I was when my article, which I wrote to be uplifting and empowering to all people, especially those who have been shoved into a mold because they are different, was slammed by a group of folks who obviously did not read it, but simply saw "ADHD" and assumed the worst.

To me, that's really unfortunate, because if they had read the post, they might have gotten something positive out of it, rather than feeling like they were being attacked. That is the exact opposite of what this post is about.

As a creative person who encourages people to be trailblazers in their fields, it's really scary to me that nowadays, if you're different, if you don't do things exactly the way that everyone else does them, that you can be labeled with a medical disorder.

It's not right that merely being different means that there is something "wrong" with you. The things that the experts on the TV show listed as being the reasons why they thought Leonardo had ADHD have other reasonable explanations, but taken out of context they can be construed to make him look like he's suffering from a disorder.

*****

And to Alan--I really appreciate you returning to read and re-read my post and leave a new comment. I was feeling very bad about the misinterpretation of this article by some people (although I *really* think those other folks who left negative comments didn't even read it!), but seeing your new comment come in, that you read the post and got a clarification of the purpose of it, means a lot to me. Thank you for that. :-)

[Terry Gold]

Hi Sharon,

My friend Verna sent me a link to this post. I really enjoyed your writing, and then was suprised and sorry for you that you had received some really negative comments.

I grew up in a time when kids who didn't do well in school were just told to work harder and pay attention. I've always joked that my teachers had a stamp for my report card that said "Terry would do better if he would only apply himself in all classes, not just the ones that interest him." I was an A-D student.

My dad used to say that I needed to focus more. I would jump from model rockets to airplanes to music to scuba diving to photography to cars - and that's just a partial list of the things that I was passionate about at one time as a kid. Even so, he was proud of the intensity I brought to whatever had my interest at the time.

I had a teacher who said "you'll never be successful if you don't learn to spell" and another teacher who agreed to pass me only after I agreed to never ever take another math class again. I broke that commitment years later as an adult and did fine, though I felt guilty about breaking a commitment. On the other hand I had many great teachers who fueled my interests, and the few bad ones just inspired me to prove them wrong.

I'm an entreprenuer now, having founded a company 16 years ago that made the Inc. 500, and is still growing into new areas. (Good thing that 'D' in Business Administration 101 didn't discourage me too much!) I also play in a Bluegrass band and I have many other interests. Some interests last only a few months and others last a long time. During the day I jump from task to task going from intense focus to hardly any focus at all. I also ride the roller coaster of emotion that every entrepreneur I know rides too.

I'm not saying I have AHDA, ADD or anything else. I don't think I'm "normal" but I'm happy with that. My wife understands that I jump around from interest to interest and she just goes with it. (She bought me the mandolin that sent me down the bluegrass path, and I'll always be greatful for that.) She also understands that I can jump from great optimism to great discouragement. I understand that too, and I know that my moods have accounted for my success as much as anything.

One of my early bosses told me that I had to learn to keep my highs from being too high, and my lows from being too low or from lasting too long. That advice helped me more than anything, because it told me that I had some control over it all. I should try to find him and thank him for that.

To the people reading this comment, I mean no disrespect to anyone who's struggling with their own problems. I'm just telling my own story, and I wish you the best. Thanks Sharon for an interesting post!

[Becky Carroll]

Hi Sharon,

I really appreciated your post. Our youngest son has been labeled many things in the past by teachers, administrators, etc. They have tried to encourage me to hold him back, put him on medication, and other things. Our response: this is the way God made him, and we will help him make the most of it!

He has an "out of the box" way of looking at things. I have learned many things from him about how to approach a problem, even though he is only 10 years old. Yes, I can see the positives as his mother. But if I don't do that and champion them, who will?

I am tempted to send your post to his teachers and keep it for others who will have my son in their classes in the future. I also want to share it with him to show him that, although a person has been labeled with a "disorder", they can achieve great things when they make the most of what God has given them. Einstein has been labeled by many as autistic, and look what he accomplished!

Thanks again for taking the positive view on people, Sharon. It touched me.

[Nicole]

Thank you so much for this!
I am the mother of three children, two of whom have undiagnosed ADHD.
Last night, we returned from yet another parent teacher conference. If I didn't know any better, I would cry.
"We suspect your 5 year old son is ADHD. He can't sit still, he can't control himself, he talks all the time..." and instead of offereing solutions, the teacher basically threw up her hands.
The good news? He is excelling at reading, math, and writing...he just doesn't want to write.
He can't stay on task, and can't focus, he's hyperactive. Blah blah blah. Yeah, well he's a 5 year old boy in NYC in the winter, and instead of recess yesterday, they made his class sit still in the auditorium and quietly watch a very bad and boring old movie. They decided that 40 degrees was too cold to allow the children to go outside. Hyper? Gee, why?
Fortunately, I have heard all this before. I got the same reviews in school, as did my father, my grandmother, and many other family members. The irony is we all grew up to be extremely, extremely successful individuals, mostly entrepreneurs. Oh, and we have two great grandparents with works in major U.S. museums, too. (The Met and The Smithsonian).
Thanks for putting a smile on my face and putting it all back into perspective for me.
So tired of my children being judged by the 'normal people' when I know once they reach adulthood and are able to make their own way in the world, they will be just fine, just like the rest of us in my family.

[Sarit]

Wow, this is a truly inspiring post. It irked me, too, to read that some people label Da Vinci practically as a failure but the end of the post really inspired me to look at myself and try to examine my own self-confidence issues.
Thank you.

[Fromz]

All I can say is, "If Leo was defective, I wish I was that kind of defective."

Good post, good thoughts.

Thanks :)