An open letter to potential agents

It's about my brain

Photo by That's Her Business on Unsplash

Dear potential agent,

Obviously, this is not a query letter — I know enough to use your name in the salutation. But if you are considering making an offer to work with me, there are things I think you should know.

As a neurodiverse person (ADHD and dyslexia), I have challenges and I need you to understand how my ADDled brain functions and sometimes doesn’t. It’s not ALL bad.

Audio processing. It’s a weird and frustrating thing, but sometimes it takes a few seconds for my brain to comprehend something you say to me. Tell me a joke and you might get a delayed reaction. It’s not that I’m dumb, my hearing is simply delayed.

And sometimes, it doesn’t process what you say at all, especially if I can’t see your face or we are in a noisy place (more on that in a bit). So, best if we talk in person or at the very least over a video call. Even so, I may need you to repeat yourself. I know that can be annoying for you. It is for me too. It’s not that I don’t hear you or that I’m not listening; it’s my brain on overdrive having trouble focusing.

Focus. Even if I am concentrating on your voice, I’m thinking of a million (OK, that’s an exaggeration, but a lot of) different things at once. It is a natural function of my brain and it is sometimes hard to tamp down the Ferrari engine in my head. But I am getting better at it. So, if you see me taking notes as you speak, it is because I thought of something I want to remember to say but I don’t want to interrupt you. Interrupting people is a habit I’ve been working on breaking and I am getting better.

Passion: Be forewarned! If you say something that ignites my passion — be it good or bad — it can be difficult for me to contain myself. Some people are charmed with my animated persona while others find it exhausting or overpowering. So be it. It is who I am, but you should know this about me.

Creativity. You will NEVER see me struggle for a new idea. If anything, I’ll want your help deciding which project to pursue next. When I come up with a new idea, I get excited about it. But if I let it sit for a few days, I sometimes find the idea is not as cool as I first thought.

Sensory overload. Noise from leaf blowers or 2-stroke snowmobile engines annoy nearly everyone but can be downright overwhelming for me. Restaurants and bars, with clinking glasses and people raising their voices to be heard, are also challenging and often intolerable for me.

Hyperfocus. Yet, occasionally I like working in a café with the hum of conversation around me because it can promote my superpower — hyperfocus. However, if you see me in hyperfocus, you need to be sure you have my attention before starting a conversation or I’ll miss the beginning of what you are saying.

Time awareness (or lack thereof). Like many with ADHD, time is a construct I struggle to comprehend. Hyperfocus is a gift — I can get a lot accomplished when I slide into it working for hours without noticing time. In the past it’s meant, I’ve been late for or missed appointments. But now I’ve got safeguards in place, like calendar notifications, so that rarely happens anymore. And, just so you know, I am a devotee to deadlines. They help me prioritize and I’ve found tricks to not only meet deadlines but often beat them.

Dyslexia. Speaking of meetings and deadlines. I also have dyslexia and I cannot remember numbers to save my life. I need to and am very careful recording events in my calendar. It is imperative I record appointments immediately and double-check that I haven’t reversed a number and entered the wrong date or put it in the wrong time slot (like 4 a.m. instead of 4 p.m.). For this reason, I use military time (you don’t need to though) and an analog watch face. Even so, I sometimes confuse time zones (and I work with people all over the world!). Also, I don’t readily know left from right. So, I appreciate your patience with me.

Hyperactivity. I knit. It calms me and helps me focus. Sometimes, if I need to sit in a meeting, I may be knitting. Despite what it may seem, it helps me focus and listen better when my hands are moving. I usually explain this if I am meeting with someone new. But know that I’m not being impolite. In fact, if I am knitting, it means I am being present. And I DO finish projects (well, at least knitting ones).

A sweater I recently completed for a friend

Executive functioning. Very occasionally, I say something that I later cringe over. Impulse control is another aspect of ADHD. Years ago, pre-diagnosis, during a job interview, I noticed someone stifling a yawn and asked if I was keeping them up — Yikes! Suffice to say, I didn’t get that job.

Since then, I’ve trained myself not to blurt things out and to think about what to say before opening my mouth. Sometimes, though, I do blurt something out that may be funny or clever or sometimes mildly inappropriate. Please accept my apologies if the latter. But fortunately, that’s rare these days and I hope you realize that I never intend to hurt anyone as I, myself, am rather sensitive.

So, now you know more than you ever thought you should know about me. If my work appeals to you (you can check out some of it on my website), I hope you’ll consider working with me. I promise it’ll never be dull. And like everyone, I’m a work in progress and always open to feedback — in fact, I appreciate it.

With gratitude and an open heart and mind,

Jodi