Illustrator Jannik Stegen on how conversations about ADHD in the creative industry can be improved

The activity of Jannik Stegen is intolerable to miss. Bursting pinch vibrant colours and charming characters, his unthinkable portfolio includes illustrations for nan likes of Die Zeit, Manto and Art of Play. Yet, contempt having a emotion and evident talent for drafting ever since he was a child, it wasn't his first calling.

"I went consecutive into med schoolhouse aft graduating without moreover considering a imaginative career," he tells Creative Boom. "But arsenic nan semesters went on, I grew much unhappy pinch my imminent early of becoming a doctor. That's really I recovered my measurement backmost into drafting arsenic an after-school accent release."

Eventually, Jannik recovered nan assurance to discontinue medicine and began studying ocular communication. "The studying didn't really do overmuch for maine since my assemblage didn't support illustrating, but I kept doing my point and yet recovered retired astir that saccharine small niche, which is illustration."

And convey goodness he did because Jannik's fantastical style ne'er fails to dazzle. What's each nan much awesome is that for a agelong time, he claims to person "never cared excessively much" astir classical drawing. "I was much into flashy and colourful stuff," he says.

"I americium besides obsessed pinch compositions and immoderate benignant of storytelling aliases metaphors successful art. I went done aggregate phases, for illustration graffiti and manga. Between those phases of obsessing complete a definite style, I went backmost to drafting silly creatures and different worldly disconnected nan apical of my head.

"Over nan years, I was capable to merge what I person learned from different styles into my ain thing. Especially complete nan past year, my style sewage adjacent to wherever I wanted it to be, and I started enjoying nan travel moreover more."

This affinity for agleam and saturated colours tin beryllium traced backmost to his penchant for utilizing markers complete coloured pencils. "I find them much breathtaking to activity with, and they bespeak nan power I put into my work," Jannik explains. "In contrast, my wardrobe and level interior person mostly muted colours."

As for his emotion of characteristic design, Jannik reckons this stems from his favourite media he consumed while increasing up. "I spent a batch of clip watching Ghibli movies, playing Pokemon, watching cartoons and reference manga. In each these, a batch of nan storytelling happens done nan character's design.

"I emotion to create emotive activity and show stories done my illustrations. Bold and expressive characters thief pinch that, positive it's ace nosy to research and to travel up pinch caller and absorbing faces."

As good arsenic being an illustrator, Jannik has known since puerility that he has ADHD. And pinch conversations astir nan information getting amplified acknowledgment to societal media, he thinks that nan clip is correct for nan imaginative manufacture and nine astatine ample to person conversations astir it.

"I deliberation It is misunderstood successful general," he explains. "A point I publication a batch online is group being willing successful trying retired medication, to yet beryllium capable to 'focus for illustration everyone else'. Recently, an aged friend of excavation told maine nan aforesaid aft he started therapy and sewage diagnosed pinch ADHD. I wasn't amazed astir his diagnosis, but alternatively how, upon receiving that label, he instantly wanted to return thing against it. And taking Ritalin does not make you consciousness 'normal', spot me.

"A point that doesn't get mentioned enough, successful my opinion, is that each these symptoms are conscionable traits. Some group are much competitive, others are much nervous, and immoderate are dreamy. I americium trying to say, don't put yourself successful a container because personification came up pinch a aesculapian word to picture immoderate of your behaviours."

For Jannik, being diagnosed pinch ADHD didn't alteration his position astir himself hugely. In fact, it has only been related posts popping up successful his provender that sewage him reasoning astir it more. "I deliberation it's acold much accepted nowadays to beryllium diagnosed pinch ADHD, which is simply a bully thing," he says. "People besides became much unfastened connected societal media astir what's going connected successful their lives.

"Others are looking to find group who are akin to them. And, of course, shortened attraction spans person been a celebrated taxable since nan emergence of TikTok. In my opinion, it starts to get problematic erstwhile group presume neurodivergence arsenic their personality aliases look for tips connected medicine successful nan remark sections of ADHD meme pages."

And moreover arsenic personification pinch ADHD, he admits that he is unsure really it affects people. "I don't cognize if ADHD makes you much aliases little creative," he reveals. "People usually opportunity it makes you incapable to focus, which I deliberation is wrong.

"In schoolhouse aliases astatine work, you often person to woody pinch boring tasks, and I deliberation ADHD makes it harder to woody pinch boredom. I could attraction for hours connected extremity erstwhile reference books, playing video games aliases erstwhile drawing. I emotion it erstwhile I get an thought that really excites me. I consciousness specified a beardown impulse to visualise it and person truthful overmuch nosy pinch it. It's nan champion emotion ever."

If ADHD is broadly misunderstood and surrounded by unhelpful conversations, past what is nan measurement guardant for nan imaginative industry? Jannik explains: "The word ADHD is beautiful antagonistic and supports labelling behaviour. It makes group place nan strengths they whitethorn have.

I americium besides not trying to opportunity you shouldn't return medication, and I admit nan symptoms and experiences of group who want to return it. But honestly, anybody tin maltreatment these medications to raise their productivity. I met galore diagnosed group who are brilliant, person unsocial talents and are really nosy to beryllium around. As I said, it is portion of your personality, truthful I would deliberation doubly earlier deciding to get free of it.

"People are speedy to fto a explanation overshadow their cognition of what is happening. If you person ADHD aliases not, I deliberation it's champion to attraction connected what you are bully at, to do what you emotion and to admit that immoderate things mightiness not beryllium for you."