A Scottish artist famed for his unique creations has written his first book – and says the process helped him with his Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Graffiti scrawler-turned professional artist Tragic O’Hara has painted a number of murals at towns across Scotland, as well as turning his back garden into a giant Space Invader.
But he was unaware he had ADHD, a condition which affects people’s behaviour, when he began putting pen to paper for A Practical Guide to Walrus Chasing.
And the artist, real name Steven McIntyre, says being diagnosed with the condition was a revelation which helped him better understand his creative output.
He said: “In 2009 I started calling myself Tragic O’Hara. In 2021 I became a Professional Walrus Chaser. In 2024 I was diagnosed with Combined ADHD.
“I have written a book called A Practical Guide to Walrus Chasing. A totally imaginary coping mechanism that I was blissfully unaware I was writing at the time I was writing it.
“It all started because I couldn’t stop listening to I am The Walrus every day on repeat for hours at a time. Which four and a half years later has led me to write about how to become a full time Walrus Chaser.
“I’ve been Walrus Chasing since the night I was on the way to the shop to buy a bottle of red wine and a bag of cheese bugles when I am The Walrus by The Beatles came on shuffle and I walked right past the shop.
“Listening to the same song over and over again for three hours. Just feeling slightly like less of an arsehole I usually did. That was the night I started to talk to myself in the Consequence Free Environment in my head while thinking about The Walrus.
“The next day I went into my work and handed in my notice because I had decided that my time was a currency and from that point on I was only going to exchange my time for money so I could use the money to buy myself The Time to Chase the Walrus.
“The feeling I was getting from I am The Walrus and the feeling I was getting from making the ‘things’ I was thinking about. And it built from there.
“I think because I have Combined ADHD I have written a guide to manoeuvring Combined ADHD when I had no idea I had it in the first place. I was told by my doctor that it was impossible to have ADHD if you have Higher English.
“So I used my Higher English to write myself The Guide. The Guide to Surviving The System was never designed for me in the first place.”
A limited number of signed books are available to preorder from his website – tragicohara.com – with the books going on general sale on November 1.
Tragic – who spent years silently sneaking along streets and rooftops in darkness, avoiding the police, to do what he loved – refers to himself as “a reformed vandal”.
The 37-year-old, who grew up in Ardrossan, Ayrshire, and runs his own YouTube and TikTok channels, regularly runs educational workshops for children.
And his artistic career has also seen him secure an international commission, after a homemade video of him painting President Donald Tump was spotted by an American record label on YouTube.
He was asked to design the artwork for the Fear and Loathing in Atlanta release after they loved the clip showcasing his work, which he shot in his garage in Kilwinning.
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