I was 23 before I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. As far back as Elementary school I knew that there was something “off” in the way that I processed information. That my ability to do well academically was somehow hindered by not having certain tools that I needed, tools I wasn’t even aware existed. In high school, I began to augment my deficits with strengths. Where my grades were lacking I made up for it through creativity; I excelled at art and photography.
When I was 17 my parents got divorced. I was emotionally devastated. For psychological reasons I understand now but did not at the time, my feelings manifested themselves as a paralytic fear of travelling black holes. Though terrified by the concept, I spent months reading …show more content…
It was there that I was finally diagnosed with and began treatment for ADD. I compare it to being prescribed glasses; you have no idea how bad your vision is until you’ve seen the world in focus. Having real clarity is empowering, exciting, and humbling. It changed my life profoundly. I taught myself to manipulate images in Photoshop. Before long, CBS hired me as a photo retoucher and later divulged that I was one of a thousand applicants to apply for the job.
A year later I established my own retouching company, collaborating with high-end photographers and clients worldwide. I’ve worked as an official retoucher of the Sundance, Toronto, Cannes and Tribeca Film Festivals. Last month I completed a five-image photo composite double page spread for Vanity Fair and got an A on my Calculus II midterm!
So why am I in school now? Several years ago, I began to learn about climate change. I also happen to be absolutely in love with whales. Not unlike my teenage fear of Black Holes, the more I learned about climate change and how it was impacting my favorite marine animals, the more it terrified me. So, I wanted to learn more, I needed to learn more. Not to quell my own fears but to help make a difference in the trajectory of the planet’s health and its inhabitants
When I was 17 my parents got divorced. I was emotionally devastated. For psychological reasons I understand now but did not at the time, my feelings manifested themselves as a paralytic fear of travelling black holes. Though terrified by the concept, I spent months reading …show more content…
It was there that I was finally diagnosed with and began treatment for ADD. I compare it to being prescribed glasses; you have no idea how bad your vision is until you’ve seen the world in focus. Having real clarity is empowering, exciting, and humbling. It changed my life profoundly. I taught myself to manipulate images in Photoshop. Before long, CBS hired me as a photo retoucher and later divulged that I was one of a thousand applicants to apply for the job.
A year later I established my own retouching company, collaborating with high-end photographers and clients worldwide. I’ve worked as an official retoucher of the Sundance, Toronto, Cannes and Tribeca Film Festivals. Last month I completed a five-image photo composite double page spread for Vanity Fair and got an A on my Calculus II midterm!
So why am I in school now? Several years ago, I began to learn about climate change. I also happen to be absolutely in love with whales. Not unlike my teenage fear of Black Holes, the more I learned about climate change and how it was impacting my favorite marine animals, the more it terrified me. So, I wanted to learn more, I needed to learn more. Not to quell my own fears but to help make a difference in the trajectory of the planet’s health and its inhabitants