The ADHD Artist Podcast

Flynn Hannon bio:

Flynn is a Chicago-based Graphic Designer, Tour Manager and Music Manager. His graphic design experience includes logos, branding, music merchandise, banners, print media and social media content. In terms of music, he most recently toured with Palehound and is now focusing on the careers of burgeoning musicians in Chicago and across the country. When not freelancing in one form or another, Flynn is indulging in a variety of creative hobbies, including woodworking, sewing, gardening, DIY home renovations and pottery. 

For more information and to explore Flynn's work, visit his website at www.flynnhannon.com. You can also email him at [email protected] or [email protected] for inquiries regarding graphic design and tour management.

About Kyla:

Kyla is a Toronto based, New Orleans bred Visual Artist with a passion for painting, intuitively portraying emotions and mindsets through her work. Struggling with ADHD and Mental Health, Kyla uses these as a tool to create her compositions. As her thoughts move a mile a minute, so does her paintbrush. Use of hyper-detail, layering, and hidden imagery within her work tricks the eye into multiple perspectives, leading each and every viewer to see something different depending on how they look at it. Ultimately, Kyla hopes to inspire neurodivergent individuals to utilize their disabilities as positive and unique traits, rather than as setbacks in life.

Kyla received her BFA in Visual Art from York University in 2018 and officially launched her art business, Kyla Yager Artwork, in January 2020. She has been drawing and painting since early childhood, leading to a consistent art practice for over 20 years. 

You can find her work in online publications such as Art Habens, Beyond Words, and The Button Eye Review. View her work in-person at the Riverdale Gallery in Toronto and at Fly Right Galaxy Gift and Studio in New Orleans.  If interested in murals, commissions, collaborations, workshops, or live painting, please email Kyla at [email protected]. 

🗣️ Quotes from Kyla Yager

"The best thing you can do as an ADHD person is just do what you are most passionate about every day, because then you'll never get bored."

"My process is so freaking fun. I just love making what I make. When I finish it, it's just because I've run out of room on the canvas."

"The biggest detriment that you can do to a creative professional career is putting in some work and then stopping because you feel like it's not working."

"I want to be a famous artist, not for the vanity of fame and fortune, but because I want to start a movement and make an impact on the fine art world."

"Collaboration over competition all the way."

For more information and to explore Kyla's art, visit her website at www.kylayagerartwork.com. Follow her on social media to stay updated on her latest projects and exhibitions.

Dani Bagel: Playing Piano through Panic Attacks, Tapping into your Uniqueness, Art and Music as Healing, Creating External Structure, and Making Music through Generations

Dani Bagel Bio

“I make music for myself”.
With this statement, Cape-Town based artist Dani Bagel announces her debut solo project,
“Magic in Her Hair”. The musician has created an EP that is unapologetically made on her
own terms and produced under her own label.
These songs are less distinct artistic approaches, than a reflection of different parts of the
same person. “They are all just me”, Dani says, “it’s not like I’m acting like somebody else”.
Audiences were first introduced to her sound four years ago, with her features on several
singles. First, came the release of Keagan John Moore’s “Lay it on Tonight” under the alias
Gabrielle, with the Cartel. In 2017, however, she released the first single as Dani Bagel,
‘Where Did We Go Wrong’. The deeply honest and atmospheric dancefloor sizzler, co-
written with Caleb Williams, introduced the strength of her pen. Since then, her
collaborations include Lebo Lukewarm (Swimming Practice), Omar Morto (Cruise Control)
and Gina Jeans (Smoke and Mirrors, co-written with Jimmy Nevis). With Magic In Her Hair,
however, Dani is stepping directly into the spotlight and into a new era of her career – one
completely driven by a commitment to making the music she wants to create, embracing both
individuality and collaboration.
The classically-trained musician took on co-executive producer role for the project alongside
engineer, Eldon Quirk (Sunset Studios) and Kooldrink – the young producer who has worked
with the likes of Sho Madjozi, Diplo, DJ Maphorisa and Youngsta CPT. Magic in Her Hair
draws together 6 producers between 5 eclectic songs, while paying homage to all of her
coming-of-age 1990s R&B albums. This EP is her version of seeking to create this kind of
work for a new generation.
What draws the different songs together is Dani’s musical DNA as a musician, and clear
creative vision. She describes this project as both an offering to audiences, and a dare
directed at herself, rooted in genuine passion and joy. With her collaborators, she explains
that “there was so much space given to just trying any idea” kind of idea.
The result is an eclectic, yet connected EP that makes space for experimentation, play and the
different moods and moments that reflect the diversity of what it means to exist and
experience life. The strength of her songwriting, commitment to honest lyrics, exploration of
deep feeling, playful extravagance and classical training are the album’s defining elements.
Azul is an interlude that Dani describes as a ‘whirlpool of thoughts’ written during a panic
attack, where she met her piano as a centering force. Okay (Co-written with Caleb Williams)
is a sentimental, emotion-filled conversation, that she explains that could be a way of
‘singing to yourself or someone else’, as the chorus constantly returns to the repetition of
“I’m ok”. Rooted in deep vulnerability the song finds the artist asking for permission to be
herself. Sturvy turns an insult into an anthem. Dani explains that her social anxiety and naturally inward nature often led to her being labelled and assumed to be “sturvy” by those
who don’t know her. The song is about dealing with and subverting these perceptions, and
while she starts out singing, by the end of it she blasts into bars. The anthemic Testing repeats
the refrain “testing the water”. As the song that builds and grows from its initial impulses, it
could be the motto of the entire project – which is unafraid to experiment and enter new
musical territories.
The album’s inspiration, too, draws from an eclectic set of artists - from Doja Cat’s exciting
experimental approach to Ariana Grande’s layered choral-esque vocal harmonies and HER
and Snoh Aalegra’s modern take on R&B. What connects these influences is their creation of
“women-led music”, as Dani gravitates towards artists who directly express their grit and
effortlessly move between genres and styles.
Magic In Her Hair is an EP that aims to intrigue. On her hopes for the project, Dani says, “A
person who listens to me for the first time will kind of be, I hope, intrigued by the kind of
artist that I can be”. She later definitively adds, “The kind of artist I am”.
For more information and interview requests, please contact [email protected]
Her Latest single “Testing” can be streamed https://lnkfi.re/Danibagel-Testing

Testing is a shout-out to loud long lekker nights full of debauchery and bubble. The
Naughty Nineties repurposed and packaged for
our modern ears. The anthem for ‘Remember
that party’. But the music and the vibe is not the
only groove you will witness.
Jimmy Nevis makes his directorial debut in this
music video which combines the drama of drag,
the energy of extravagance and somehow
makes kitsch cool. The story line begins with
trans Drag Queen and make-up artist Maxine
Wild getting ready for a night on stage after we
find Dani Bagel alone in an empty club. She is
powerfully alluring and as the energy builds in
the song we see this reflected in her sense of confidence as it expounds into a
playful and entertaining opportunity to tantalize our ears and eyes with a fun-loving,
lively, exuberant and down right frisky display of a good time. The finale celebrates
diversity and here we are left wanting more while cheering for a nostalgic soul-train
dance tunnel you wished you could be a part of.

This is just a quick and fun bonus episode with a couple of "fan questions" that we didn't have time to put into the regular episode. My fiancé is a HUGE fan of Jamie's work, so I let him give me specific questions to ask :) Enjoy!

Jamie McKelvie is a writer, artist, designer and director best known for his frequent collaborations with Kieron Gillen on projects such as Young Avengers and the critically acclaimed 9 volume epic, The Wicked and The Divine. He has designed several characters for Marvel Comics that have since been translated to screen, including Captain Marvel, Ms Marvel, Loki and America Chavez. Outside of comics, Jamie has worked with several bands including Tegan and Sara and Art Brut, and regularly collaborates with Chvrches, including directing the video for their song Bury It. He lives in Scotland with his girlfriend and their cat. 

Check out episode 13 with Kelli, where we discuss opera, gaming, Terry Pratchett, letting yourself be ridiculous, and lots more!

Kelli Butler (known online as The Opera Geek) is a professional opera singer, aria slinging mercenary, and Actual Bard. * She is an award-winning (actually, not just from my mom) opera soprano whose roles include Queen of the Night, Hanna Glawari, Musetta, Violetta, and more.

When not performing - say, during a pandemic - she can be found playing games on her twitch channel or appearing in a multitude of other TTRPG/D&D shows, including the new campaign "Let's get Wildemount!", set in the Critical role universe. 

Kelli is the co-author of the best-selling College of the Opera bard subclass for bards, which can be found on the DMsGuild. She lives in NY with her husband Justin and their two very irrational pets, Bones and Scotty.

Join us as Susie Sahim and I chat about the artistic process, art RPGs, working as a Google Doodler, and lots more!

Susie Sahim is an entrepreneur, illustrator, animator, and web developer based in San Jose, CA. She worked for Google for 13 years, during which she delighted people by created more than 100 doodles as a Google Doodler, and later going on to become a tech lead for a code library, leading and mentoring a team of web developers. In 2019, she left the corporate world to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams. Her mission is to motivate artists with art role playing games on PaperDemon.com, an art and writing community. She's passionate about the importance of communities to help neurodivergent creators feel accepted, build confidence, and overcome art block.  

Check out episode 11 with Juliet, where we discuss playing piano, occupational therapy, learning how to learn, and much more!

Juliet Morse Aucreman is a piano teacher, composer, writer, artist, and occupational therapist living in San Clemente, California.

Juliet was a piano performance major at Eastman School of Music, holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Rochester and an MS in Occupational Therapy from Boston University. She has pursued advanced coach training through ADDCA (the ADD Coaching Academy). Juliet is a SIPT-Certified pediatric occupational therapist. She has published over 80 humorous and thoughtful pieces in national and local print publications including Attention Magazine.

In 2019, Juliet released her book and music album Fireflies of the Mind: A Journey into Mindfulness and Inner Strength. Fireflies of the Mind is a literary, musical, artistic, and philosophical journey for multiple age groups. Through playful thoughtfulness and whimsical imagery, readers and listeners come to embrace parts of themselves they may have rejected, and discover new ways to see strengths in their individual differences. Fireflies of the Mind, inspired by the wonderful coursework from the ADD coaching academy, celebrates individuality and unique brain wiring and helps participants actively see new ways of being, growing, and joining the world around them.

Juliet is currently at work on her second book/music album, The Crimson Heartstone: A Journey towards Courage and Heart. ADD characteristics can easily be spotted in the main characters of both books. 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliet.multi.media/

Fireflies of the Mind: https://www.firefliesofthemind.com/ 

Check out this interview with Brandon Tessers, where I pick his brain about executive functioning, creativity, getting an ADHD diagnosis, and lots more!

Brandon's bio:

Brandon Tessers (he/him) is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC), a trained professional actor, an amateur singer/songwriter, a former schoolteacher and tutor, and an enthusiastic if sometimes ill-prepared husband and father.
He’s been helping children and adults with their executive functioning for over a decade, and has been doing so as a licensed therapist since 2016. He’s always been focused on working with people who exist outside the norm in one way or another and is particularly focused on helping people who consider themselves neurodivergent and/or creative.
Among other things, Brandon is a playwright and the DM for his longtime D&D group.  He’s also a national presenter and has conducted professional development for therapists and teachers.  He is passionate about his work–so much so that his friends and family sometimes wish he would stop talking about how everyone’s brain works. He couldn’t stop thinking about how to help people gain self-awareness and make changes in their lives if he tried.