What It Really Means To Have ADHD As A Hairstylist & Creative Entrepreneur
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“I’m not a perfectionist but I’m super particular”
Well hey there, friend. Welcome back to another episode of The Anxious Creative podcast. I’ve got a very special guest and they’re here for two episodes!
This collaboration has been a long-time coming and I’m so pumped it’s finally happening.
Get ready to be inspired with my friend, super talented stylist, suite owner and all-around awesome human, Crystal Casey.
Buckle up friend, ‘cause you’re in for a good one.
A Content Creator
Crystal lives in Virginia Beach, VA and she’s been a hairdresser for 14 years, owner of her own salon suite business for the last 6 years and she’s been a content creator (or an influencer if you prefer) for the last 5 years.
She likes to call herself a content creator instead of an influencer because she feels like it has a more positive reception. It also allows her to stay true to herself and her values without feeling like a slimy salesperson (you know we don’t like slimy sales around here).
Crystal and I recently reconnected over our mental health (as you do nowadays).
Crystal and I both have ADHD, unlike me though, Crystal got her official diagnosis somewhere between 3rd and 5th grade. Looking back, she feels like the diagnosis was more for her parents to understand and learn how to parent her, but Crystal didn’t really understand what it meant to have ADHD until she was 33, about 3 years ago.
Although I was only diagnosed this year, Crystal and I can relate because we’re both learning how to re-navigate our lives as adults with ADHD.
I asked Crystal if she thinks that ADHD compliments working in the hair industry and she said yes, to a degree. If you’re creative, which Crystal feels like most people with ADHD are creative with some medium, working with hair is a great space for those of us with ADHD.
I know for myself when I was in the salon I was able to stimulate my brain in the right way; having music going, continuing a conversation and tangibly doing the hair was exactly what I needed. And it wasn’t until I was working from home and it was hard for me to sit still that I realized I do need that extra stimulus to be more productive and focused.
That being said, too much stimulation can be exhausting.
I haven’t been to a hair show since before the pandemic, but Crystal has recently been to one and we talked about how being around people and being in that sort of environment totally drains us.
Crystal jokes that she thrives in a hair show environment for about 45 minutes and then she starts getting overstimulated and irritable.
I know after a social experience I have to turn off all the lights and have complete silence to recharge. I always thought I was an introvert but I realized I’m actually quite extroverted, but I need to be around the right people.
Too Many Tabs
Crystal describes ADHD as having 150 tabs open at all times. If you’ve seen that quote floating around the internet, that was one that really resonated with me before even getting my diagnosis.
Although it can be discouraging to get another “label”, especially as an adult, I wanted to flip the script on it with Crystal and so I asked her what she thought the superpowers of having ADHD were.
“Our brain is like a super-computer and we can accomplish so much in a small time span, even while having conversations or driving. But no one sees it. Our accomplishments are more of an internal than an external thing.”
ADHD also makes us really great multitaskers. Crystal can do a full-color makeover, with an extension installation and still manage to film the whole process (with multiple angles), take pictures (in all the different types of lighting) and then go home and edit for 4 hours… And then do it all again the next day.
I heard someone describe ADHD as having a Ferrari engine brain inside a Honda Civic body and if that’s not relatable I don’t know what is.
Doing It All
Crystal creates all of her content entirely on her own, though she admits to teaching her boyfriend how to take some pictures for her.
We laughed over the fact that we both do it all because the amount of energy it would take to get someone else to do it how we want feels daunting and overwhelming.
Crystal says this might make her sound egotistical but she doesn’t think there’s anyone who’s as good as she is to do the things she does.
And I know you know how much it sucks to suck at something.
And although we know you gotta start somewhere and you gotta suck in order to improve, the starting is the hardest part, especially with ADHD.
Crystal likes to describe it as her “ideas of grandeur”. She gets an idea and she’s going to create this “big, epic thing” but she doesn’t know how to start it and she can’t see the finished project so she’ll try to start it and then she’ll get discouraged, which causes her anxiety that she wants to do this thing but she’s not able to do it, which then makes her depressed and so she takes a nap and then the cycle repeats.
Crystal is honest that it’s not an easy cycle to break.
She’s currently working on a photography and video online course and the physical aspect of filming everything (because she’s doing it entirely herself) is difficult.
But you and I are gonna hold her accountable and cheer her on ‘cause we know that her course is gonna be AMAZING. (Seriously, go creep her Instagram, she takes the coolest pics and vids.)
Oh my gosh, how freakin’ awesome is Crystal? I love that we have similarities with our ADHD, but we also have a lot of differences. It really goes to show just how diverse human beings really are.
I know I could talk to Crystal for hours, and I hope you’re enjoying listening to (or reading) our chat together, because she’s coming back for another episode and I do not want you to miss it!
If you want more of Crystal go check her out on Instagram @cryistalchaos, where she’s posting some bomb hair and awesome photographs. Send her a DM, tell her you came from this episode, I know she’d love to hear from you.
Until next time, friend!
Let’s be besties?
