Synesthesia and What It Has Taught Me | Melissa McCracken | TEDxUNC

Summary

The speaker shares a personal story about discovering her synesthesia, a neurological condition where senses are cross-wired, allowing her to experience colors through music, letters, and numbers. She describes her three forms of synesthesia—grapheme-color, spatial-sequence, and chromesthesia—and how these influence her perception of the world. By turning her condition into art, she visualizes songs as vibrant, moving colors, gaining recognition and helping others feel less alone. She encourages people to embrace their unique perspectives, share them with the world, and explore their individuality.

Takeaways

• 📱 The speaker recalls buying a new navy-blue slider phone at 16 and choosing a ringtone, believing the song matched the phone’s color.
• 🎨 The speaker discovered that they perceive music as colors, a phenomenon linked to synesthesia, which made them feel confused and isolated when others didn't share the same experience.
• 🧠 After researching neuroscience, the speaker learned they have synesthesia, a neurological condition where sensory pathways are cross-wired, leading to automatic, involuntary sensory responses.
• 🔢 The speaker has three types of synesthesia: grapheme-color (letters and numbers have colors), spatial-sequence (sequences like numbers and days exist spatially around the body), and chromesthesia (music triggers colors).
• 🎶 The speaker experiences music as a visual flow of colors and textures, shifting as instruments or chords change, and this is how they perceive songs.
• 🎨 The speaker decided to visually depict their synesthetic experiences through painting, turning abstract sensory experiences into tangible artwork.
• 🎸 Their first painting was based on the song 'Little Wing' by Jimi Hendrix, which reminded them of their early synesthesia memories.
• 🌍 Sharing their artwork online led to recognition on major platforms like CNN and MTV, which helped the speaker transform their condition into a full-time career.
• 👐 Many people with synesthesia reached out, expressing gratitude for the artwork, as it helped them realize they weren't alone or 'defective.'
• 🌟 The speaker encourages others to explore and share their unique perspectives, as what feels normal to them may be remarkable to others, potentially even creating a career or bringing comfort to someone.

Q & A

What event prompted the speaker to discover their synesthesia?

The speaker discovered their synesthesia while selecting a ringtone for their new phone in 2007. They noticed that they associated the song 'Cheater' by Michael Jackson with the color orange, which confused their friend and led them to realize they had synesthesia.

How did the speaker describe synesthesia?

Synesthesia is a neurological condition where one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to an automatic and involuntary response in another. The speaker explains that this cross-wiring in the brain can cause someone to experience things like seeing music as colors or associating personalities with letters.

What are the three forms of synesthesia the speaker experiences?

The speaker experiences three forms of synesthesia: grapheme-color synesthesia (assigning colors to letters and numbers), spatial-sequence synesthesia (associating sequences like days of the week or numbers with specific spatial positions around the body), and chromesthesia (experiencing music as colors and textures).

How does the speaker visualize music through chromesthesia?

The speaker experiences music as a flow of colors and textures that shift as the song progresses. Different instruments, notes, or chords produce distinct colors and patterns that move and change in response to the music.

What example did the speaker give of grapheme-color synesthesia in their daily life?

The speaker shared that the letter 'M' is always magenta for them, and since their name is Melissa McCracken, they find this fitting. Similarly, the letter 'A' is light blue, and the number '3' is lime green.

What was the speaker's reaction to learning that not everyone experiences music or letters as colors?

The speaker was confused and felt very alone when they first realized that others did not see music or letters in colors like they did. They initially thought their friends and family simply didn't understand complementary colors.

How did the speaker express their synesthesia to others?

As an artist, the speaker began painting what they saw through synesthesia to visually express the experience to others. This allowed them to communicate their unique way of perceiving music and other stimuli.

How has the speaker's art helped people with synesthesia?

The speaker's art has helped people with synesthesia by providing visual representations of their own experiences. Some individuals who saw the art were excited to finally see their experiences depicted, while others realized that they were not alone in having synesthesia.

What is the speaker's message to the audience regarding personal uniqueness?

The speaker encourages the audience to explore and share their unique perspectives with the world. They emphasize that what may seem normal to one person could be remarkable to others, and sharing it could bring solace to those who feel alone or even lead to new opportunities.

How did sharing their work online impact the speaker's career?

Sharing their work on platforms like Imgur, Bored Panda, and others allowed the speaker's art to gain global attention, which led to features in major media outlets like CNN and MTV. This exposure helped the speaker turn their art and synesthesia into a full-time career.