Anyone else with too many interests? | ADHD Information
ADDK;
You sound WAY too much like me. Except I can't stand golf. How does someone with ADD do something so SLOW! By the way, if you go with kayaks you'll never canoe again. What kind of gunsmithing do you do, and what kind of birddogs have you had?
ja_add2004, I'm with you. One thing at a time or nothing at all. I used to be into readig for pleasure until I had kids. Now it seems like my kids take up most of my free time. Just thinking about all the effort it would take to start a hobby exhausts me.CrazyIvan,
Oh great, now I'm thinking about a kayaks.....Always wanted to try that. I built a couple target rifles and made the stocks myself, 22-250 and a 50cal muzzle loader as well. Labs are my dog of choice. Had a Brittany for a while but the dog was nuts and I could not deal with it.
i'm so glad to hear that you all have had similiar experiences..when i was a kid i taught myself how to do all kinds of stuff out of books..crocheting, knitting, sewing, binding my own books, i use to make books with all my poetry..and i taught myself calligraphy, pastels, chalk, charcoal, watercolor, i played the flute , i read everything i could find about flowers..i've read so much sci fi that i could go to a book store today and still have read most of it..everytime i get interested in something i devour it chew it and spit it out. i was in rotc, brainbowl (how geeky is that?LOL) the color guard, the rifle team, the gymnastics team and the yearbook. and the newspaper. of course on some of those i fizzled out if i was daunted by or boring rules and dropped. my closest loved ones regret raising a topic that i've delved into it seems. when i found out i had adhd like all of you i bought tons of books and researched the hell out of it. i'm a walking talking chart of statistics and i have random info about almost anything filed away in my head. (buy yeah what day is it?)
i have wayyy too many interests. it has taken me years to settle on a major. i picked anthropology b/c it has is interdisciplinary so i can take several classes in a bunch of diff. topics. archeaology, sociology, poly sci, philosophy, etc. it rules!
i want to learn spanish , german and korean. i want to learn how to play piano before i die. i also love to bake and i try something new whenever i can freaking motivate myself.
whenever i have a question i research it endlessly. everyone i know always asks me first. i hate not knowing things. if i don't know i want to find out. and yes i don't know what i did before the net. i specifically bought a laptop so i could have instant gratification as far as finding info at all times. i'm aggravated that i can't have access 24 hrs a day whenever i have a thought to flesh out..and yes damn our jobs!
fortunately for me i have a phone job. i work in a call center, inside sales...so i can have several browsers open and i do a lot of research and searching. its the only thing that gets me through the day.
sumi
sumiah38153.5110532407Hobbies: Reading, Swimming, Roller Skating, Music, Movies, Hand writing analysis, Tarot Cards, Horescopes, Credit Repair (which covers a whole other area of sub interests).
Planted Flowers this year, not going very good though, also I got my ham radio license and participate with ESDA Storm Watch...
Have a million subjects I would love to learn - writing, operating a business, mortgage loan industry, investments, astrology, history, accounting, multiple computer software and programs, politics.
I also want to personally revamp the health care system,
Definitely a common trait. I'm definitely what they'd call "jack of all trades, master of none". I'm interested in so many things it's frusturating to my boss and teachers.
-Cheekdeeky
Nothin' boring about motorcycles! 
I'm kinda into ATVs myself. (Although my arthritis keeps me from becomming obsessed with off road riding.) I drive down the road in my pickup with my Honda in the back; and I just know that people are lookin and sayin' "Man; that guys got an interesting life" The thing is; that is just a fantasy . In reality; I never get close enough to people to have a clue what they are thinking. And It's hard to get much enjoyment going riding by myself.
(They probably think; whats a old jerk like that doing with an 4 wheeler?) Hehe!
Let me just say thank you for this post! I could have written all of these! It helps to know that I am not crazy (or I am not the only crazy one), you know what I mean.!
Jenn
Thanks for these posts!! ADD and the arts. Maybe we should sponsor a show for ourselves. "Scattered Images". Lets see, I have books on making your own paper, collage, watercolor basics, (not to mention the myriad of books on fiction writing, screenwriting, erotic writing, and biography writing) and have been collecting interesting items from flea markets for assembleges that are filling my studio. I've collected print blocks from India, wallpaper print rollers from a defunct factory, cigar label print blocks, etc., etc., et. Oh, but I do do printwork (and have managed to be in several shows). Its certainly NOT easy. I'll get everything set for a print session in the studio but then won't get to it for weeks, then I'll print all night long (yes, I'm also an insomniac) in a hyper-intensive session. Sound familiar to anyone? Since some of the greats like Pollock and Warhol among scores of others suffered from similar ailments, perhaps we're all destined for greatness! 
I think my ADD plays into my current works though. Hopefully its not against the rules to post my Web site, but It kind of fits into the post. www.hubcaparte.com. I would REALLY love to see some of the other artwork that has been accomplished by folks in this forum. Because I think for us, it is truly an accomplishment to get to a finished product and we should be proud of that point. 
Well, time to go work in the garden, finish the laundry, vacuum the living room furniture and go for a hike. 
Will
I don't have this one. In fact, I'm quite the opposite. I rarely try anything new. I know this is a reason why it's hard for me to maintain freindships...I'm not a very exciting person and rather spend quiet time...doing...uh nothing.
I'm the type that has a one track mind, meaning I usually have one big interest at a time. When I was younger, it was my car stereo. You know, I was typical in that respect. In my early twenties I drove a bass mobile. Then that died and I got into home theater. Then that latest a few years, and I picked up computers again, after not touching them since my teenage years (and man, a lot changed!). Now that I'm older (and can spend more money), I got back into my home theater. That was short lived. Now it's my motorcycle.
Different interests, but only one at a time. It seems that I bore everyone around me with my intetests, because I have a hard time deviating my thoughts and conversations away from my 1 hobby. Other than that, I would say that I mostly have a lack of interest in anything else.
-JA
Are you kidding? You should see my garage and basement! My hobby paraphernalia could fill two houses.
I was a musician for several years, but also became interested in acting, pantomime, and cartooning. Then I started mountain biking. Later hunting and camping. Then painting. Eventually I developed a serious addiction to fly-fishing. This was right after getting into canoeing. Then there was a brief gardening phase. Oh, I also build furniture. And then came golf, Tai Chi, and several others. These are just the hobbies and don't even begin to take into account the areas of interest I have spent time on reading and learning about (history, politics, religion, science, etc.).
Every time one of these ideas grabbed me I would head to the library and check out every book and video I could find on the topic. I became immersed in it like some kind of nut!
The good thing about this is that I now know a lot about many different topics from the nesting patterns of the Eastern Grey Squirrel to chiseling a mortise to programming computers. The bad thing is I have blown a small fortune and countless hours and have never really been able to "master" any of them.
My only problem is these darned jobs that keep interfering with all my hobbies!
Well, let's see......I share alot of the same ADD stuff with the rest of you and must say that in this case I just don't have anything in common with this one.
Must have several hundred in water color supplies. Finished two paintings. Have a 98 motorcycle with 3000 miles on it. Have 2 mountain bikes. ( of coarse I had to get one with rear suspension). Maybe 300 miles on both bikes. And the road bike. 95 Jeep with 35000 miles. (I was going to go 4 wheeling more.) Electric Bass I do not know how to play. Same with a key board. Plotter. (I was going to learn Auto Cad.) Golf. (at least 3 sets of clubs, plus I had to build some clubs.) Fly fishing, fly tieing, fly rod building. Wood working. (Garage full of tools.) Geology, Bird watching, Hiking, Cloud identification, Flying (Got my VFR licence and never piloted a plane since.) Let's not forget the boat(s) and canoe(s) Oh I got heavy into kite building once. Pottery, Oils, Sculpture, bansi trees. (all died.) Wood carving, Knife making, Gun Smithing, Reloading, Hunting, Sporting Clays, Bird dogs, Aquarium, Birds, (I currently have a red factor.)
Ya know......I could double this list!
Nope sorry, I just don't think to many interests is an ADD thing.
Oh yes, forgot to say that I am currently looking into growing different types of Grapes.
Kent
( Is it just me or are the rest of you seeing all of the adds for art supplies here?)
ADDK38149.6475I, too, am seeing ads for art supplies. Must be because art was mentioned in this thread. I've noticed that ads appear to the right of the posts based on what is being discussed in the thread.
Interesting - for I, too, poor alot into whatever my current interest is at the time. I can't tell you how many books I have on all types of art and all types of computer programs. And how many colored pencils I have! Of course I had to buy the full set of damn near every brand of colored pencils made. And the same with pastels. That's why I'm debating on whether or not I really want to try this metal clay sculpture stuff. Next thing you know I'll be buying a freakin kiln!
Whenever I start to learn something I'm at the library checking out every book they have on the subject. Not to mention all the books that I buy on the subject. I have tons of books on ADD now. Anyone want to borrow any?
I still don't know how I functioned before the internet. I am an information junkie! I just want to learn as much as I can about everything!
Oh, and while I was listening to CD's at work I was thinking maybe I'll start playing the bass guitar again.
BTW, Kent, sounds like you fit right into this group! 
Barb - sounds like you were reading my mind! I am trying to figure out how to put all of this together into one thing. Actually, I'm thinking about doing colored pencil and pastel pictures on scratchboard and then scratching off the areas that I need to be white or to be highlights. Think it might look kinda cool!
kimo38149.6739236111You guys really made me laugh. I have a pile of ADD books from the library and a couple of empty Amazon boxes in the basement.
I think we should start sponsoring ADD garage sales!
Kimo, Your projects and interests all seem to be art related at least! Maybe you can do some projects that incorporate several different art forms in one. One big project made up of many smaller ones that you love to do!
There are many things I love to do and most last about 5 minutes before I get bored. None of them seem to be related although some of them are connected in some way by writing. I have never been able to settle on one thing I would love to do as a career.
g8art, keep it up! Many of us are waiting to see your stuff on your web site! (Nothing like a little pressure on you while you're working! LOL) Barb
I was just wondering, anyone else have like a gazillion different interests or things they want to try all the time?
For instance, I love creating art. Did computer art for a long time and used many different programs to create many different types of art.
Then I got into colored pencil last year, then I got into pastels.
Now I find a book at the library on the art of metal clay and now I want to do that! And I want to try modeling cute characters and beads and stuff with sculpey clay.
And I want to learn how to do scratchboard art. And I want to learn how to draw better.
If I lived 3 lifetimes I couldn't do everything I want to do!! And it can be very frustrating. Man I wish I didn't need my day job!
So I was just wondering, is this a common ADD trait?
Yep; me too! The thing is that I can't seem to get inspired and motivated enough to really spend my time creating. I'm an artist by trade; and awhile back; I just lost any motivation, so ended up practiacally becomming a hermit. But........thats all starting to change a bit now that I'm on my meds. I had a project that I wanted to do for years that I just kept putting off. Or if I did start it; I would end up chucking it out. But now I've been working on it for a week and a half, and no sign of fizzling out yet! I've devoted almost every day to slowly but surely getting it right. Before my meds; there was no way I could keep the inspiration going long enough to even get a rough draft done. I'm new to digital art, but I am learning as I go, and I'm stoked at finding out how to use new techniques.
Hey I have a question for about digital art: what format do you use for large projects that may be printed out in the future? I started off saving it as a JPEG, but the file was getting so big. So I changed it to a bitmap image. What do print shops prefer? I'd be greatful for any info! I'm using Adobe Photoshop 7