The One You Feed When Your Brain Won’t Fit the World: Finding Your Creative Path with ADHD with Andy J. Pizza
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Dec 12, 2025 Andy J. Pizza, an illustrator and creative educator, dives into the connection between ADHD and creativity. He shares how understanding his ADHD reframed his self-doubt and deepened his empathy for his family's struggles. The conversation explores self-compassion as a path to growth, and how creativity acts as a powerful tool for self-discovery. Andy discusses developing a minimal visual voice and the role of childhood influences in shaping identity, underscoring the importance of accepting oneself to foster authentic creative expression.
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Misbehavior As Misdirected Good
- Andy J. Pizza reframes 'bad' behaviors as misdirected good impulses seeking something positive.
- He suggests curiosity about the underlying need beats treating yourself as a problem to fix.
Seeing His Mother Through ADHD
- Andy recounts growing up labeled 'creative weirdo' and later resenting similarities to his mother as her life fell into chaos.
- Discovering adult ADHD helped him view his mother's struggles as identity mismatch rather than moral failure.
Labels Change Behavior
- Andy worked at a youth shelter linked to a juvenile detention center and saw the same kids act differently depending on labels.
- That experience taught him that framing (deserving a roof vs. being bad) changes behavior dramatically.
