Why Expressive Arts Coaching Is a Game Changer for ADHDers
- Brainz Magazine
- Apr 11
- 6 min read
Written by Shayne Swift, ADHD Coach
Shayne Swift is the founder of Swift Lyfe Coaching and Consulting, specializing in ADHD coaching and personal development. Diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood, Shayne combines lived experience with professional expertise to empower individuals, particularly within communities of color, to navigate their unique challenges and achieve their goals.
Living with ADHD often feels like inhabiting a kaleidoscope of thoughts, emotions, and expectations, one that spins faster in high-stress or emotionally charged environments. Many traditional coaching or therapeutic approaches rely heavily on verbal processing, structured reflection, and productivity frameworks. While these methods can be effective, they don't always speak the same language as the neurodivergent brain.
That’s why expressive arts coaching has become a transformative and accessible approach for the ADHD community, especially for women and people of color who are often diagnosed late and underserved. It creates space for emotional clarity, self-acceptance, and reimagined identity without needing to “fix” anything.
“Art is a language that speaks to emotions we cannot name, creating beauty from chaos.” — Hillary Sartor
The challenge: Navigating ADHD in a neurotypical world
For many adults with ADHD, especially those diagnosed later in life, the challenges extend far beyond missed deadlines or misplaced keys. They include perfectionism, internalized criticism, and emotional dysregulation.
The emotional burden is compounded by the mental load, a constant swirl of unspoken tasks, intrusive thoughts, and self-doubt (Swift, 2025b). ADHDers often report feeling stuck in cycles of "not enoughness" even when they're actively succeeding. As one participant in our recent coaching series put it, “It’s like my brain skips the realistic middle part and goes straight to worst-case scenario.”
This internal storm isn’t always responsive to logic, productivity apps, or pep talks.
What it does respond to is creativity.
What is expressive arts coaching?
At Swift Lyfe Coaching & Consulting, we define expressive arts coaching as the integration of creative exploration with ADHD-informed coaching principles. Participants use mediums like:
AI-generated digital art
Messy collages and doodles
Journaling and poetic reflection
Music playlists, comedy, and storytelling
These tools support emotional regulation, reframe internal narratives, and create new neural pathways for self-compassion and clarity.
In our four-week pilot workshop, participants explored themes such as the inner critic, perfectionism, identity, and emotional weather. The process invited them not just to talk about change but to see it, create it, and feel it.
One participant used AI-generated art to visualize a new relationship with her inner critic:
“Usually, she’s yelling from a distance. But in this piece, it’s like she’s giving me a hug. That felt like a huge shift.”
Another participant drew from Yoruba spiritual traditions to personify her preferred inner voice. “She’s firm and protective like Yemaya. She reminds me why I started this journey, even when I’m procrastinating,” she said.
Why it works: The science behind the art
Art may feel magical, but its power is also backed by science.
Engaging in creative activities has been shown to activate emotion regulation pathways, reduce cortisol levels, and increase feelings of agency and resilience (Fancourt, Warran, & Finn, 2019). It helps ADHDers interrupt shame cycles and develop emotional tools that are felt, not just taught.
Creativity also supports post-traumatic growth. In a study on adversity and creative output, Forgeard (2013) found that participants who used expressive outlets after trauma experienced increased emotional clarity and self-confidence.
That’s exactly what we saw in our coaching circle. Whether through AI images, watercolor messes, or spoken word, participants weren’t just making “art”; they were making sense of themselves.
Embracing imperfection: The messy magic method
One of the most popular sessions in the series was the “Ugly Art Challenge,” an intentionally unstructured activity designed to help participants break free from perfectionism (Swift, 2025a). Using non-dominant hands, random objects, and no plan at all, clients created chaotic, “unpretty” pieces on purpose.
The result?
Laughter, liberation, and insight.
“It was hard not to fix it. But I kept going even when it felt messy,” one participant admitted. “That’s kind of what I need to do in life, too.”
This workshop taught a key lesson: perfectionism isn’t precision; it’s paralysis. And ADHDers deserve creative tools that encourage risk-taking, not rigidity.
Rewriting the inner critic
Another foundational pillar of the program was transforming negative self-talk into empowered inner dialogue. Participants personified their inner critics using AI-generated images and then rewrote their scripts (Swift, 2025c). They moved from:
“Why can’t I ever get it right?” to
“It’s okay to make mistakes. I’m learning.”
This exercise helped clients practice internal coaching, building an inner voice that’s not just corrective but compassionate.
Lessons learned: From resistance to liberation
Many participants initially questioned the process.
“I’m not an artist.”
“I hate messy things.”
“This won’t help me stay organized.”
And yet by the end of four weeks, they were asking for more classes, sharing their creations in our group, and reframing lifelong narratives of shame and self-judgment.
As one of our participants wrote:
“Could you please let me know when you have another class planned? I would really like to participate. Thank you for everything.”
These weren’t just art sessions; they were portals to personal insight and collective healing.
The bigger picture: Creativity as a culture shift
Expressive arts coaching does more than regulate emotions. It helps redefine ADHD not as a disorder to be masked but as a different way of seeing the world.
Tools like AI art offer an especially accessible entry point. They require no technical skill and still yield vivid, meaningful reflections. As I’ve written previously:
“Creating AI art allows me to externalize the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions that often come with ADHD. It’s both therapeutic and empowering” (Swift, 2024).
By offering options like AI prompts, guided meditations, emotional “weather reports,” and mental load management tools (Swift, 2025b), we help clients create their own toolkits for sustainable wellness.
A personal note of gratitude
Before I close, I want to extend my deepest thanks to the courageous women who participated in this pilot program. You said yes to something new, something a little messy, and something radically different from traditional coaching, and I don’t take that lightly. I’m immensely grateful for your feedback, your presence, and most importantly, your vulnerability in the face of ADHD.
You showed up with your doubts, your inner critics, your humor, and your hearts, and in doing so, you reminded me just how resilient and radiant ADHDers truly are. I learned so much from each of you: about strength, about softness, and about what it means to be a wonderfully empowered champion of your own life.
Through your stories and your artwork, you demonstrated that healing doesn’t always come from fixing what’s “wrong,” but from embracing what’s true. You showed me that community isn’t just a support system; it’s a mirror, a launchpad, and a soft place to land.
And that’s why building community for ADHDers (especially women) matters so deeply to me. We are often late-diagnosed, often misunderstood, and often expected to “hold it all together.” But in spaces where we’re free to express ourselves, to be seen without judgment, and to support one another, we shift from surviving to thriving. To each of you: thank you. You are the art, the heart, and the reason I know this work matters.
Final thoughts
Expressive arts coaching isn’t just a supplement; it’s a lifeline. For ADHDers who’ve been silenced, shamed, or misunderstood, creativity provides a way back to themselves. It bridges the gap between insight and action, between chaos and clarity.
“Art doesn’t erase struggles,” Hillary Sartor reminds us. “It illuminates the beauty within them.”
Whether through wild paint splatters, reframed inner critics, or laughter in the face of perfectionism, expressive arts are more than a method. They are a mirror one that reflects the whole, vibrant, complex self behind the diagnosis.
Read more from Shayne Swift
Shayne Swift, ADHD Coach
Shayne Swift is the founder of Swift Lyfe Coaching and Consulting, where she specializes in ADHD coaching and personal development. Diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, she blends lived experience with professional expertise to help individuals navigate their challenges, particularly in communities of color. With a background in education and life coaching, Shayne has a strong commitment to dismantling the stigma surrounding ADHD and empowering others to thrive. Through Swift Lyfe, she provides clients with the support and tools to achieve balance, success, and fulfillment in their lives.
References:
Fancourt, D., Warran, K., & Finn, S. (2019). What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being? A scoping review. World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe.
Forgeard, M. J. C. (2013). Perceiving benefits after adversity: The relationship between self-reported posttraumatic growth and creativity. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 7(3), 245–264.
Sartor, H. (2023). Embracing Neurodivergent Beauty: Celebrating the Artistry of Being True to Oneself. [Self-published].
Swift, S. (2024). Art as a Pathway to Self-Expression and Emotional Well-Being. Brainz Magazine.
Swift, S. (2025a). Embracing Imperfection: The Messy Magic Workshop [Unpublished workshop material]. Swift Lyfe Coaching & Consulting.
Swift, S. (2025b). Clear Your Mind: Mastering Mental Load Management [Workshop resource]. Swift Lyfe Coaching & Consulting.
