"Being in the Arts as an ADHD person, I need something that engages me; it is what makes me feel alive." Listen as your host, Eric Tivers, and his guest Sarah Gise discuss being an artist with ADHD, how she stays focused, and the stigma around ADHD in the creative profession plus much more on this episode of ADHD reWired. Sarah is an actor, teacher, artist, director, and audiobook narrator who grew up in San Antonio, TX, but moved in 2013 to Chicago. She holds a BFA in acting from the University of Southern California and, in 2013, received the LA Weekly Best Actress Award for her performance in the Belle of Belfast. Sarah also has a podcast called The ADHD Artist. Sarah discusses the inspiration behind starting the podcast, the focus she finds when performing, but how distracted she can get during rehearsals and auditions. Sarah believes that Mindfulness meditation saved her life and career, and she shares the time she went blank on stage during a performance. Listen, as Sarah speaks about the theatre company she is a part of, the raw, relevant, and rare productions they do and the most memorable performance she had done with the company. Sarah also talks about how she keeps performances interesting and exciting when doing the same show repeatedly. Sarah says that she is in mourning because of the theatres being shut down and what she has been doing to keep her creative juices flowing and her mental health healthy. Are you an artistic person? Listen and see if you can relate to the things that Sarah has gone through. You'll learn: [03:19] Welcome to the show, Sarah! [04:17] Sarah shares what she remembers about growing up with ADHD. [07:04] How did your family react when you were diagnosed with ADHD? [07:55] Listen, as Sarah discusses performing in a performance group since she was about eight and her love of dancing and singing and art. [09:57] Eric shares that the idea of going to school for music was something he didn't get to do. [12:20] How hard is it to be in the arts as an ADHD person? [15:15] Sarah speaks about the culture shock she had when she moved to Chicago and went to college. [17:01] Sarah discusses how Adderall messed her up when she first started college. [24:41] Listen as Sarah speaks about the stigma around ADHD in the creative profession. [27:46] Sarah shares the inspiration behind starting the podcast. [29:28] When Sarah is performing, she rarely loses focus because she is so immersed, but she gets distracted in auditions and rehearsals. [31:19] Mindfulness meditation saved her life and career. [33:37] Have you ever been performing on stage and blanked? [38:04] Sarah describes the Interrobang Theatre Project that she is a part of. [40:45] Sarah talks about the projects that Interrobang produces, which are always raw, relevant, and rare. [42:04] What is the most moving or memorable performance that you have done with this company? [43:45] Sarah shares how they keep it interesting and exciting when you do the same show over and over, sometimes twice a day. [45:30] What are you and the theatre community doing during the pandemic closures? [47:18] Eric and Sarah discuss what major key points that she would want in a show about The ADHD Artist. [50:18] Sarah speaks about what she is doing during the shutdown to keep her creative juices flowing and her mental health healthy. [52:49] Eric talks about recently discovering that he can draw; he didn't know he could do it. [54:48] Sarah shares some final thoughts with the listeners. [55:58] Thank you so much for being on the show! [57:09] If you are a regular listener, consider becoming a patron click on our Patreon tap at www.ADHDreWired.com Find Sarah: The ADHD Artist Podcast @theadhdartistpod Facebook | Instagram Feelings for Days by Connor Kelly-Eiding Anxiety Chronicles The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron Regina Spektor Phoebe Bridgers Use my Audible.com affiliate link for your favorite titles: http://www.audibletrial.com/ADHDreWired ADHD reWired Coaching and Accountability Groups The 16th season of the ADHD reWired Coaching and Accountability groups are ending soon. ArC 17 Summer Sessions run July 11th – Sept. 19th. We only have 9 spots remaining. Please visit coachingrewired.com to learn more and sign-up for our Last Scheduled Registration Event on June 11th at 3 PM CT. You don't want to miss it! Support the Podcast on Patreon Patreon allows listeners like you to support content creators like me. With a monthly contribution, you can get access to different levels of perks. 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