I have Synesthesia, as I believe I have mentioned before. It is not very pronounced and is more or less restricted to days of the week which I see in colour and shape. My Tuesday, for instance, is a half-moon shape with see-through curves in a watery blue-grey.
When I told my doctor that the sight of a starfish tastes like copper she sat across from me in silence, waiting for the punchline.
“I’m dead serious.” I laughed. “It tastes like a penny in my mouth.”
For as long as I can remember I have experienced an overlapping of senses of some sort. Sometimes sight is combined with…
Source: Synesthesia: When Tuesday Is The Color Red – Neuroscience News
I definitely equate colour and movement to music…When I view a Kandinsky – I could almost begin singing the notes…..however, I don’t have synesthesia in the way that you do. Maybe I should take more special notice to my sense reactions. Thank you, Sarah for a very interesting post…and of course keep smiling and enjoy the day…Janet:)xx
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I’ve always imagined there are many such ‘conditions’ that because we don’t discuss them, we assume everyone is the same. I remember when I first discovered it had a name, I was astounded and couldn’t wait to tell my mother. We had been dismissed as mad by my father . Well, one of us was, course. Happy Tuesday and keep smiling. xxx
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I have looked this condition up previously. I am not sure if it should be regarded as an affliction, or a wonderful gift. Its association with artists and musicians seems to suggest the latter.
Best wishes, Pete. x
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Definitely a gift!
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It’s a fascinating condition. Thanks for sharing, Sarah.
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Pleasure, Olga.
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i’ve read about this and it is fascinating to me. i see it as a gift, a whole other way to experience the world around us, but i’m sure it depends on the way, you feel as the one holding the gift.
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I see it as a gift too and wish, as I say, that it was more pronounced. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if most others feel the same.
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Thanks for sharing. I had heard the term only associated with Kandinsky and you included my most favorite work of his .
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Pleasure. That’s a nice piece of synchronicity!
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A freelance editor had synesthesia (would that be “was synesthesiac”?) who I worked with swore she could tell when a writer did from the color combinations their words made. There’s a whole world out there that I can’t touch–and can barely imagine.
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Not sure. Sounds very possible. Perhaps we all start out with such ‘conditions’ and then most of us ‘grow out’ of them. Interesting to speculate.
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I doubt it. Unless I was very small, I think I’d remember.
Of course, I might have been very small……
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We laugh at what you write but I bet it’s not pleasant to have your senses mixed up that way.Sorry Sarah, I laugh with you not at you.
xxx Gigantic Hugs xxx
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My level is fascinating rather than difficult but I do know there are some whose senses overlap to such an extent that it makes many aspects of life exceedingly hard. Laughing? How dare you! Big hugs back. xxx
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Sarah, I was happy to see Kandinsky on your post and when I saw it was in reference to your synesthesia, I was excited since I have it too. I mention it from time to time( sometimes it’s crazy art!). I’ve been blessed with tasting color or gustatory-visual-olfactory syn. Crazy indeed but as long as I’ve got lots of pretty paints I’m happy. Blessed even! 😉
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I remember that you do and meant to tag you!
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I believe that is a Kandinsky painting? He was a genius with a fascinating life. My preschoolers love his art. I highly recommend “The Noisy Paintbox”, an award winning children’s picture book about his life.
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It is indeed. How interesting your preschoolers love a bit of Kandinsky. The Noisy Paintbox (perfect title!) sounds a must. It’s gone on my list.
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I am so glad! I promise the picture book will not disappoint. Really. For preschoolers, Kandinsky’s art has the freedom and color that entices them to paint and try and learn. An art and history story I love (you will too): Eric Carle and his family returned to Germany at the urging of his aunt in 1932 or 33. Eric had already discovered his interest in art. He did well in high school and of course the war was in full swing by then. His art teacher risked his own life to show Eric Carle “forbidden art”; the art
of Matisse, Picasso, and Kandinsky (there is a fourth artist I am forgetting). That changed Eric Carle’s life. The rest is history. I love that story!
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Fascinating!
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I knew you would like that story. Thank you!
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I am utterly fascinated by synethesia and am a little envious. My imagination is strong but it doesn’t equate the magic of tasting a penny when you see a Starfish. How strange our minds are.
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They are indeed. I understand the envy as I’m envious of a more pronounced version!
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This is an interesting concept. Makes you stop and think about how you are creating images and what people are really perceiving!
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Absolutely!
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I’ve always been intrigued by synesthesia and actually created characters with the sensory *enhancement* in one of my books. I’ve always wondered whether it’s an acuity versus a deficit, and whether it’s just “the commonfolk” being unable to appreciate “the gifted.”
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It might, physically, be a deficit but I like to consider it an enhancement. As for you commonfolk…:) Which book? That’s a big incentive for me to buy it!
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It’s a gritty one, Sarah, with profanity and violence. If you’re interested, it’s The Bone Wall, but I won’t hold you to it, if you’d rather not. It’s all good 🙂
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Ooh, I love a bit of profanity and violence!
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Ha ha ha. Too funny 🙂
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