A framework to build creativity and support focus | Lerryn Clare | TEDxTruro

Lerryn Clare opens by confessing she never considered herself creative despite multiple failed attempts at learning guitar, drawing, fashion sketching, photography, knitting, and various other creative pursuits. These failures led to lifelong feelings of shame and embarrassment, and she struggled with focus, punctuality, and completing tasks. In her 40s, she was diagnosed with ADHD, which helped her understand that her brain is wired for novelty and interest rather than importance. This diagnosis didn't magically solve her problems; she still had to learn how to focus. Clare explains that attention is widely misunderstood—it's not purely a matter of willpower. She demonstrates this with a purple bear exercise, showing that our attention can be directed by external factors regardless of intention. She identifies two key factors impacting attention: (1) motivation and reward centers in the brain, driven by dopamine, which naturally direct focus toward rewarding, fun, interesting, or novel tasks; and (2) cognitive load—the limited mental bandwidth we all possess, which is consumed by remembering too much, environmental distractions, or stress. While these factors affect everyone, ADHD brains experience more extreme effects. However, studies show that when an ADHD brain is in the right environment, it can demonstrate unusually sustained and intense focus. Clare provides examples of her own hyperfocus: creating a comprehensive 56-page PowerPoint about a Japan trip in 24 hours and writing a complete song during a 2-hour flight. She argues that creativity can be nurtured when the environment is right. To create such environments, Clare proposes the EASE framework: (1) Externalize—reduce cognitive burden by outsourcing remembering to checklists, timers, and environmental placement of needed items; (2) Anchor—reduce internal and external stressors through nature walks, breathing techniques, mindfulness, and minimizing noise or harsh lighting; (3) Simplify—break overwhelming tasks into smaller, manageable steps with fewer choices to reduce processing power and combat procrastination; (4) Energize—activate motivation and reward centers by pairing tasks with passion projects, adding novelty, or introducing urgency through competition and deadlines. She illustrates these principles through the relatable example of assembling flat-pack furniture. Clare concludes by emphasizing that changing how we work with our brains—rather than labeling ourselves as broken—unlocks both creativity and improved self-perception. Her ADHD brain, once viewed as a liability, became the source of remarkable achievements.