THE LEONARDO TRAIT
You know that thing where your brain refuses to line up politely behind a single passion like it’s at the DMV? Where you fall in love with six ideas before breakfast, abandon two, resurrect three, and then—somehow—make something gorgeous out of the wreckage?
Yeah. That’s not a flaw. It’s the point.
The Leonardo Trait is a book for people whose creativity doesn’t arrive in straight lines.
It’s for the multipassionate, the multi-curious, the deeply imaginative, the “you’re too much,” the “why can’t you just pick one thing,” the restless-brained wanderers who have been mislabeled for most of their lives.
It’s for you.
WHAT IS THE LEONARDO TRAIT?
In 2006, I coined the term to describe a constellation of traits shared by profoundly creative people—people who think sideways, leap intuitively, love fiercely, and chase ideas like fireflies. I didn’t know at the time that I was autistic, disabled, and very quietly drowning in other people’s expectations. I just knew there were people like me who didn’t fit the usual templates.
Nineteen years later, I’ve written the book I wish I’d had.
The book so many Leonardos have asked me for.
The book I was trying to write all along.
WHAT YOU’LL FIND INSIDE
This new edition goes deeper than ever:
- Why profoundly creative people feel misunderstood (and how to stop internalizing it)
- The intersection of creativity, masking, neurodivergence, disability, and identity
- How to work with your spiraling, nonlinear brain instead of fighting it
- The tangled relationship between multipassionate creativity and workaholism
- How to finish things—or strategically not finish things—without shame
- Tools, exercises, reflection prompts, and stories from my own messy, honest life
- Practical strategies for building a life that actually fits you
- And yes, there is also a complementary Useless Fact in every chapter. Because joy.
WHO IT’S FOR
- Artists, writers, makers, builders
- Neurodivergent folks who’ve spent decades trying to “be normal”
- Professionals who feel secretly haunted by all their half-started brilliance
- Anyone who has been told they’re too curious, too scattered, too much
- And everyone who has ever whispered, “I think something might be wrong with me,” when nothing was wrong at all
WHY THIS BOOK MATTERS NOW
Because creativity is not a luxury.
Because your brain is not a malfunctioning appliance.
Because the world needs the kind of insight that only the wildly cross-wired can offer.
And because we are done apologizing for who we are.
This book is my love letter—and sometimes my battle cry—for every Leonardo who’s ever tried to shrink themselves to fit a life that was never built for them.
WANT TO READ A FREE CHAPTER?
Start with Chapter One: Unmasking Profound Creativity.
It’s the perfect “is this me?” introduction.
READ THE FREE CHAPTER
READY TO PREORDER?
Preorders mean everything to an author—and they unlock bonus goodies I’m ridiculously excited about.