Caffeine, Chaos, and Cartoon Kitties: The Origin of Special Interest Design

Welcome to Special Interest Design, aka my safe space for late-diagnosed neurodivergent creatives, caffeine-fueled thinkers, and anyone who’s ever made a to-do list just to ignore it in peace.

I’ve always been the odd one out - the quiet kid who functioned just enough to fly under the diagnostic radar, getting decent grades while low-key losing it behind the scenes. I made it through university. Twice. Coping by crafting elaborate systems and rigid routines like a one-person IT department for my own brain.

Then I did the dramatic thing: quit my job, moved across the planet, and watched all my coping strategies fizzle in the new timezone where absolutely none of my friends were awake when I needed to cry or spiral or send 14 memes in a row. Surprise! Turns out being high-functioning doesn't mean you're not struggling - it just means you're good at hiding it. Eventually, I realized that maybe - just maybe - I should get a real diagnosis instead of collecting quirky personality traits like Pokémon.

I started this shop in a moment of executive dysfunction panic mixed with a sudden surge of creative hyperfocus. It was a classic case of burnout-meets-brainstorm - a creative spiral disguised as progress. Somewhere between being exhausted from masking, overthinking every text I’ve ever sent, and arguing with my own brain about starting a business, this little corner of neurospicy internet was born.

Something ain't right.

Why cats, caffeine, and chaos? Because they’re the holy trinity of my coping mechanisms. Because every time I sat down to make "serious" art, my brain said, "Draw the grumpy cat, you coward."

Every design is made with that weird blend of love, burnout, and cartoon therapy. The I don’t rise and shine cat? That’s me every morning. The dopamine molecule wanted poster? My internal reward system, on the run. The adventure later grumpy owl? A perfect still from the cinematic masterpiece that is my dopamine low fatigue.

Special Interest Design isn’t just a merch shop. It’s a wearable mood board for everyone who’s ever felt "undiagnosed but something ain’t right," who drinks iced coffee like it’s a personality trait, and who’s tired of pretending to be normal.

So whether you’re here for the sarcastic owl, the grumpy cat with caffeine addiction, or the pure chaos energy of it all - welcome. You belong here, snack crumbs and all.

Let’s make weird stuff, no more pretending to be normal.