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My daughter has synesthesia. She is an adult now but we discovered it when, at about the age of three, when asking her if she knew the meanings of words, she wo
by Wistar 6y ago
My daughter has synesthesia. She is an adult now but we discovered it when, at about the age of three, when asking her if she knew the meanings of words, she would preface her definitions with, "That's a yellow (or whatever color) word." It led us to realize that, to her, sounds had distinct colors and that she found it hard to believe that was not the case for everyone.
Is it a blessing or a curse? It is hard to say but perhaps a mixture of both.
In the possible blessings column, she is, without a shred of hyperbole, an innately skilled artist and has been since she was old enough to hold a pen. Her works, illustration, paintings and sculpture, flow fully formed without any apparent planning or sketchy second-guessing. It is quite a thing to see but I have no idea whether, or how much, her synesthesia plays in it. Her palettes are incredible.
She is not a musician but finds live music to be so pleasurable that she goes to extremes — such as driving 350 miles round trip on a weeknight after work — to see concerts or live acts, and often four or five nights a week. This is a curse in the regard that it has in the past threatened her financially and I worry about her hearing. The pandemic has curtailed this and she terribly misses the music.
- TheOtherHobbes 6y agoThe right/left brain idea is usually considered debunked, but it's still observably true as a metaphor, even if it's not literally true in terms of physical brain function. People with what are labelled strong right-brain skills can often do some or all of those artistic things. It's complementary to having a talent for linear symbolic logic, but operates in a different space. It can also be learned or at least enhanced. But just like other talents some people are born with exceptional ability while others have to struggle to be mediocre. And skill levels as an adult depend on a supportive and stimulating environment in childhood which brings out the talent, as opposed to leaving it undeveloped.
- iamcurious 6y ago>. It's complementary to having a talent for linear symbolic logic Interesting. Can you expand on that?
- samstave 6y agoI am really interested to see some of her art. Please share if she is obliged... I am often stunned at the hyper-realism of modern artists - as opposed to a lot of the art of the past eons, and I wonder why is it that we now see hyper-realism / photo-realistic drawings / art now as opposed to the past? Has the artistic side of human creativity evolved in literally the last 75 years?