Gay, Neurospicy, and Over It: Why I Had to Ditch ‘Professionalism’ to Find Peace
Let’s be honest: “Professionalism” was never built for people like me.
Too gay. Too loud. Too neurospicy. Too real.
And I tried—really tried—to shrink myself to fit into those polished little boxes. But eventually, I had to choose peace. And peace looked a lot like walking away from performative “professionalism” and walking straight into my power.
🧠 The Mask I Mastered
Before I ran Nicko Creative full-time, I was fluent in code-switching, people-pleasing, and chronic masking. It was survival.
I didn’t yet have the language for what I was navigating—ADHD, OCD, a splash of autism, the queer experience, and a lifetime of being too much for spaces that were way too little.
Every job I held expected me to show up “neutral,” which is just corporate-speak for palatable, non-threatening, and not too different. In other words? Not myself.
🏳️🌈 Too Queer for the Cubicle
Being queer in a buttoned-up work environment is exhausting. You’re constantly doing the mental math:
Can I talk about my partner?
Will this haircut get me side-eyed?
Do I need to code-switch again just to get through this damn meeting?
It’s not just annoying—it’s soul-crushing.
I realized I was spending more energy editing myself than doing actual work. And when your queerness is core to your creativity, watering it down is like taking the color out of your art. It stops hitting.
⚡ The Neurospicy Rebellion
I used to feel broken for needing flexibility, for thriving in chaos, for hyperfocusing one day and shutting down the next.
Turns out, I’m not broken—I’m just not “professional” in the way capitalism defines it.
Now? My business is built around being neurospicy:
Brain dump spaces and creative sprints
Nonlinear workflows that actually work
Boundaries that protect my energy, not just my schedule
I didn’t ditch professionalism because I couldn’t hang.
I ditched it because it couldn’t handle me.
✨ What Peace Looks Like Now
Peace isn’t quiet—it’s loud as hell and looks like:
Rocking hats and Jordans in client meetings
Saying “vibes” in proposals because that’s how I talk
Designing brands for other misfits, rebels, and weirdos who don’t want to blend in
Peace is authenticity.
And authenticity is now my business model.
🖤 Final Thoughts from the Edge of Respectability
I’m not here to burn bridges (well, maybe a few).
I’m here to show people like me that your magic doesn’t have to be filtered through professionalism to be powerful.
In fact, the more you peel back the mask, the more people connect with the real you.
And let’s be real—if they want “professional,” they can hire someone beige.
I’m here for the bold. The messy. The real.
I’m here for the ones who’ve been told to tone it down, when deep down they were always meant to turn it all the way up.
