Forums » Smalltalk » AMA: Living with POTS and AuDHD as a Web Designer

Hi there!

My name is Solaris, and I am a freelance comic artist and web designer! I have been designing websites for almost 2 years now, while being engaged on art since I was little.

I also have POTS and AuDHD (both Autism and ADHD together), and as you can guess that does complicate things, making my chosen professions great for me!

I am open to answering any questions regarding just one or both of these things!

1 // How do you manage to keep focused/motivated on making your comic(s)?
2 // What kind of websites do you design?

These are great questions!

I mostly reflect on myself a lot, and make sure I am in the best physical and mental position to make art, at least the best I can xD- I find it really easy to make art naturally when I'm not stressed or worried about things going on with my body and mind. This can look like eating a snack, or getting up and moving around, or stepping outside for a bit before I start a piece, or even taking a small break from the art altogether until I feel like I'm ready to begin (this can range from minutes to hours to days or even months).

I design a variety of websites, that vary from ones displaying my art, jcink sites and overall html setups. I also help some of my friends co-manage websites and give them design opinions. Hope this helped!

Do you use any aids to help your POTS?

Do you design original characters for your comics? And if so, who is your favourite pro- and antagonists? Do you have a muse when it comes to comics?

Sorry for my ignorance -- can you tell me a little bit more about POTS, what it's like living with it day to day for you?

POTS does complicate a little bit, and I use several aids to help me! My favorites are compression socks, additives to drinks made with high sodium for people with POTS, and an under desk elliptical machine that keeps my blood circulation up and helps me work longer.

I design tons of original characters for my comic art, and my favorite protagonist would have to be one of my main characters, Adalia! You can view her on my profile, though I haven't posted any of the art I have made for her yet.

A day to day routine varies for me, and it usually starts on how I prep the night before. I find Epsom salt baths right before bed help me relax, and it promotes healthy muscles. When I wake up in the morning, I usually start by drinking a few bottles of water as hydration helps me move around more. I then move to making breakfast (for both me and my two dogs), and drink another bottle of water as I take them on their morning walk/run (depending on how capable I feel of running). This usually takes it out of me, especially in the summer when it's hot, so I usually take a 1-2 hour nap after.

After my small morning nap, I then grab a salty snack such as chips and make my way to my desk to log on my computer and see what work I have for the day! If it isn't that much, I can usually knock it out in 2-3 hours, leaving me the rest of the afternoon. I usually walk my dogs again, and come back inside. If I don't feel too tired and I'm in the right headspace, I usually grab another snack and make some art! After I'm satisfied with that, I usually spend some of my time here before getting ready for dinner. This is usually what most of my days look like, since with autism routine is very important to me.

Has anyone ever hired you to create a comic page for them? Or do you just create your own?

I used to have commissions open for them, but it never really got off of the ground. So I usually stick to my own pages, and hope to open them again soon when I get a little more time on my hands!

That makes sense, I suspect hiring to make comics for commissions is a very niche market I was curious though!

Where do most of your web clients come from?

Most of my clients come from other comic and general artists I meet at conventions or online!