Creativity and Dyslexia - a New Photographic Project

There is a very interesting connection between dyslexia and art – or at least between dyslexia and different ways of thinking, of spatial awareness, of a certain sense of practicality and visual perception. Diagnosed formally with dyslexia at the age of 39, I've always been drawn to art and creativity, and having learned more about dyslexia since my diagnosis, I've come to realise that as well as presenting barriers to be overcome, dyslexia is also a gift.

A few years ago, at the Central St Martin's College of Art and Design, the authorities at the college were concerned about the high levels of dyslexia amongst the students. They called in Dr Beverley Steffart, a psychologist who works in dyslexic assessment, and she found that almost three quarters of the students had dyslexia. This led Dr Steffard to conduct research into the link between dyslexia and creativity. She says:

"My research so far seems to show that there does seem to be a `trade- off' between being able to see the world in this wonderfully vivid and three-dimensional way, and an inability to cope with the written word either through reading or writing."

Which poses the interesting question: Am I neurologically creative because I am also dyslexic, or am I drawn to creativity because I have difficulty expressing myself any other way? Because I think so visually, and I think because my formal diagnosis came relatively late in life, I have thought long and hard about how to visualise dyslexia, how to explain my experience to people without dyslexia.

Of course, there is a huge variation in the ways that people with dyslexia experience it. Sometimes dyslexia is described as a 'spectrum', but I think this is a potentially worrying term, which leads to people being described as 'not very badly dyslexic'. I believe that you're either dyslexic or you're not. All people with dyslexia will have difficulties (and positives) in common. Although some people with dyslexia might experience reading and writing difficulties differently, their dyslexia still needs to be recognised and the person helped. The varieties in dyslexia are probably not fully explored, and there will be variations in individuals from upbringing, diagnosis, and education, leading to very different ways in which people with dyslexia experience it. That in itself is fascinating, and has led to my latest photography project 'The Dyslexia Portrait'.

In this project, I am inviting people with dyslexia to share their experience of dyslexia, and from these shared experiences, I will produce an image that represents that experience. I've worked with an interviewed several people so far since I launched the project two weeks ago, and it's been really interesting hearing how people describe how dyslexia affects them. Many people describe their experience very visually, using visual metaphors. One I particularly love is “I feel like the words are running off the edge of a cliff”. Sadly, some people also describe the frustration and embarrassment that come with the dyslexic experience. “My friends make jokes about it and they don't know how embarrassed that makes me feel”. People have also described the hidden aspect of dyslexia: “They don't see the stress that writing causes, the extra time taken to read and understand something, and all the little workarounds we have, just to try and get by."

This project aims to show not just how people see and experience dyslexia, but to show how amazing they are. The project will take a full year to complete, and will culminate in a exhibition of paired images, one image being a portrait of a person with dyslexia, and the other an image that best represents their experience of it. I am incredibly excited about this project, and have so many ideas about where it could go, and additional things I could do. As a photographer, I think this will test my portrait skills, my conceptual photographic art skills, and additionally project management and funding skills. I'm only at the start. I'm sure there will be bumps along the way. I'd love it if you would join me on this journey, and see what amazing images that I and the fantastic people I'll be working with, will produce.

Visit the website here

Also head on over and like the facebook page here - don't forget to share with your friends, I'm looking for collaboration and shared experiences all the time, so the more people involved the better.