[Melissa S McCracken][1] has synethesia, a neurological condition that causes one sensory feeling to cause reactions in other. For example, a synesthete might smell certain things that helps them visualize. In McCracken’s case, her sense of sound causes her to be able to envision color. McCracken explains this phenomenon quite elegantly on her website: > Until I was 15, I thought everyone constantly saw colors. Colors in books, colors in math formulas, colors at concerts. But when I finally asked my brother which color the letter C was (canary yellow, by the way) I realized my mind wasn’t quite as normal as I had thought. Basically, my brain is cross-wired. I experience the “wrong” sensation to certain stimuli. Each letter and number is colored and the days of the year circle around my body as if they had a set point in space. But the most wonderful “brain malfunction” of all is seeing the music I hear. It flows in a mixture of hues, textures, and movements, shifting as if it were a vital and intentional element of each song. Having synesthesia isn’t distracting or disorienting. It adds a unique vibrance to the world I experience. To share her gift with the world. McCracken paints the songs that she hears. Check out her work below – this is what she saw when these songs were playing. [1]: http://www.melissasmccracken.com/
