My name is Dara and I like to paint. I am by no means a professional, and, for me, my art has always been something I do to relax and quiet my neurodivergent mind and work through my emotions. I have never had my art in any galleries or sold paintings or anything like that. Outside of the occasional post on social media or sharing a picture of a piece in my family group chat, my pieces have always just stayed with me. Some of them I’ve hung in my house, but most of them are stacked in my studio space (which is a spare bedroom in my house.)

With the recent increase in AI bullshit, and the encouragement of my husband, I’ve decided to put my work out into the world. I’m starting with selling prints, and plan to eventually sell some originals as well. I have about 20 years worth of paintings gathering dust, so I may as well find them a home where they will be loved!

Who I am as a person:

Well, I am an elder millennial from a small town in Ohio. I’ve been “a weird one” my entire life. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to have a wonderful, loving and supportive mother, and a relatively stable childhood. If I didn’t have that, my life could have ended up in a not so great place. You see, when I was growing up in the 90s, girls weren’t typically diagnosed with ADHD. So I went through my formative years feeling different than those around me, especially in a small town in Ohio. I didn’t have the knowledge and tools to understand why life seemed so much more difficult for me than everyone else, or why social situations were so exhausting, or why my mind was so loud. Years of this led to so much self-loathing and self abuse.

I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 25 years old. Since then, so many of my past experiences made more and more sense the more I learned about how my brain works. I am now in my early 40s, and with the help of coping mechanisms, heaps of stimulant medications, and simply now having words in my vocabulary to describe my experiences (words like “masking” and “overstimulated” and “executive dysfunction”) I have been able to excel in my career, have healthy relationships, pursue hobbies, and attempt to love my “weirdo” self.

My art is an extension of my complicated brain, and it’s time for me to put that energy out in the world for others to experience.

-Dara