Office Worker Scolded for ADHD...The Story of Becoming the World's Strongest Artist [Japanese Side]
by Jeon Jinyoung
Published 07 Dec.2024 07:30(KST)
Unable to Multitask Due to ADHD... Left Job Due to Poor Workplace Adaptation
Reviving the Problematic 'Hyperfocus' to Become an Artist Demanding Precision
This story is about Mr. Rito, a Japanese man who struggled to adapt to the workplace due to ADHD but became a leaf art artist recognized worldwide. On his official website, he introduces the reason he became an artist himself. Here is the story of Mr. Rito, who overcame his flaws that made him lose self-esteem from being scolded repeatedly by others, turning them into strengths.
Mr. Rito’s real name is Kenjiro Hashimoto, born in 1986 in Kanagawa Prefecture. During his school days, he wasn’t particularly outstanding academically but lived an ordinary life as a student who liked games. One noticeable trait was his excessively good concentration. Whether it was picking fish bones or extracting meat from crabs, solving puzzles, or drawing mazes, once he got hooked on something, he would focus so intensely that he couldn’t hear any noise around him, often getting scolded for it. Still, people just thought, “He must have good concentration.”
The problem started after he got a job. Working in teams with others, he was often scolded at work. Thinking it might be the company’s fault, he changed jobs twice, but the situation didn’t improve, and both his body and mind were exhausted. Then, by chance, he learned about ADHD through an internet search. It perfectly matched his situation. One of the symptoms of ADHD was that once he concentrated, he would become completely absorbed and couldn’t multitask. The hospital gave the same diagnosis. He said, “Now I finally have a reason to quit the company,” and decided to resign.
After that, while attending job support classes and looking for another job, he started doodling in the corner of his notebook because the classes were boring. Then, thinking he might be able to create something with just his concentration, he spent a week drawing pointillism with a ballpoint pen in his notebook. When he posted these on social media (SNS), people responded more than he expected. That’s how he started posting his daily artworks on SNS.
Through this, Mr. Rito realized that his hyperfocus made him best suited for detailed and precise work. To find ways to utilize this, he tried not only drawing but also clay crafts. Then, in 2020, he was shocked to discover the leaf-cutting artwork of a Spanish artist. Immediately, he picked up leaves, tried drawing pictures with a knife at night, and uploaded them to SNS.
He had never studied art, so he had no professional knowledge of handling drawings, color combinations, or perspective. Still, Mr. Rito patiently repeated the process of sketching on leaves with a pen and cutting them out with a craft knife. Even a 0.1mm error could tear the leaf or distort the picture, requiring great delicacy. Nevertheless, using his concentration and persistence, most of his works were completed within a day from conception. As he kept posting photos of his leaf crafts on SNS daily, he became known to people. After half a year, his works began to be traded, allowing him to live as a full-fledged artist.
Mr. Rito turned the weaknesses that once discouraged him into strengths. Now, he talks about his journey facing ADHD at lectures and other events. He has also published collections such as "The Small World Always Beside You" and "Leaf Art Picture Book." In June, he even opened his own private art museum. It’s an incredible growth.
Mr. Rito says that if you change your mindset, weaknesses can always be turned into strengths.
In an interview, he said, “When I was a student, I didn’t know what my future dreams were. But looking back, there must have been something I was passionate about. In my case, the hyperfocus that was a weakness in a regular workplace became an incredible weapon for creating detailed works. If you change the battlefield, your weaknesses become your weapons,” he advised.
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