The Intersection of Neurodivergence and Creativity

Embracing Your Unique System

You know those moments when an idea sparks out of nowhere and suddenly you’re on a ten-tab research deep dive, half a sketchbook full, and two hours into making something unexpectedly wonderful?

That’s not a distraction.
That’s not a lack of focus.
That’s the magic of your nervous system doing what it does best.

As someone who lives, works, and creates with ADHD and autism, I’ve come to understand that my creativity isn’t something that happens in spite of my neurodivergence. It happens because of it. That understanding didn’t come from reading productivity blogs or downloading goal-setting templates.

It came from unlearning a lot of shame, tuning into my actual needs, and making space for how I really work.

Pattern Spotters, System Disruptors, World Rebuilders

Neurodivergent folks often notice things other people don’t.
We sense the disturbance in the Force. We hear the wrong word in a sentence.
We see patterns where others see chaos, and we see chaos where others pretend there’s a pattern.

This isn’t a flaw.
It’s what makes us brilliant.

Our ability to detect dissonance and nuance is what drives creative innovation. We’re the ones asking, “But does it have to be this way?”
(It probably doesn’t.)

And when the system doesn’t work for us (whether that’s a school system, a workplace, or the prescribed steps for how to make a business or write a novel) we don’t just adapt - we reinvent.

We build new ways.
Gentler ways.
Often off-beat, always necessary ways.
That’s art. That’s innovation. That’s leadership.

So if your process looks nothing like how it ‘should’ - good.
That means you’re not following someone else’s map.
You’re making your own.

Want more like this?
You can subscribe to my newsletter or explore more gentle thoughts on work, creativity, and leadership at allisonbennie.com/thoughts.

👉 Grab my a free copy of WHAT TO DO NEXT: The Creative Reorientation Handbook
👉 Or let’s chat about coaching that feels like a trusted space.

You’re doing fine. Enjoy the chaos.

Allison ✨