ADHD for Smart Ass Women with Tracy Otsuka

EP. 346: How Justine Glaser turned sensory chaos into creative genius

Aug 20, 2025

In this engaging conversation, Justine Glaser, founder of Blue Midnight Music and Colors by Midnight, shares her journey as a creative powerhouse with ADHD and synesthesia. She reveals how she sees music as color, turning sensory chaos into artistic brilliance. Justine discusses the challenges she faced in a traditional school setting and how art school liberated her creativity. She explores the power of synesthesia in shaping her identity, innovative songwriting, and the importance of embracing neurodiversity, especially for women navigating the nuanced world of creativity.

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ANECDOTE

Music, Color And Obsession

Justine describes composing and color-work as obsessive, immersive acts tied to her synesthesia and curiosity.
She listens to voices to create personalized palettes and says color feels like a second skin.

ANECDOTE

School Harmed More Than Helped

Justine calls K–12 school broken for her neurodivergent brain and says bullying devastated her childhood.
She reports life improved immediately after leaving school and later received a complex PTSD diagnosis.

INSIGHT

Color As Personal Identity

Synesthesia links sound to color for Justine and shapes how she composes and sees the world.
She treats color as an inherent part of identity and assembles palettes that tell a person's story.

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*This episode has been updated*

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What would it be like if you could see music as colors dancing in front of your eyes? For Justine Glaser, that's just a normal Tuesday.

Justine is a creative force who doesn't just hear music, she sees it. Diagnosed with ADHD at age 3 and born with synesthesia, a rare neurological trait where sound shows up as color, Justine has always experienced the world differently. Instead of masking these traits, she's made them her superpower. As the founder of Blue Midnight Music and Colors by Midnight, she creates work that's bold, multi-sensory, and completely original.

Diagnosed so young that her babysitter lost weight chasing her around, Justine's childhood was marked by curiosity, creativity, and, unfortunately, relentless bullying from ages 8 to 16. She calls the K-12 system "broken" for her neurodivergent brain, but everything changed when she left traditional school behind. Art school became her sanctuary, where her project-based learning style finally made sense.

In this conversation, Justine and Tracy dive deep into how synesthesia shapes creativity, why she believes color comes from "an inherent sense of self," and how she creates personalized color palettes by listening to people's voices. They talk about performing as an alter ego named Blue Midnight, why ADHD makes it easier (not harder) to blend multiple disciplines, and how she's learned to honor her need for breaks and nature to stay creative.

Justine's journey from a bullied kid drawing on people's houses to a multi-disciplinary artist proves that what makes you different isn't something to fix—it's your greatest gift.

Resources:

Website: https://www.bluemidnightmusic.com
Website: https://www.colorsbymidnight.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/justine-glaser-cdi-ccd-36aa4a1a8

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