What is synesthesia?

Synesthesia is a neurological trait where senses cross-wire. Stimulation of one sense triggers an automatic experience in another. Some people can see music, others can taste words, or feel colors.

What kind of synesthesia do you have?

I have sound-to-color synesthesia, also called chromesthesia. When I hear music — whether it’s a voice, a beat, or a melody— I see moving colors and patterns.

What does synesthesia feel like? Does it obstruct your vision or distract you?

I compare it to when you’re getting an eye exam, and they flash lights in your peripheral vision — you see them clearly, even though they aren’t the focus of your eyes. With synesthesia, I experience the colors and patterns similarly when I hear sound. It’s not something I have to imagine or try to see — it just shows up involuntarily, but it does not obstruct my view. I do not find it distracting because it’s all I’ve ever known. It can sometimes throw me off at concerts when the light show doesn’t match the colors I see, but it’s always satisfying when it does.

How do you capture the visuals on canvas when they’re moving?

I approach it like painting the ocean. I study the way the motion behaves. Unfortunately, there’s no way to “screenshot” these visuals to have a still image to work from, but this allows me to depict them pretty accurately. It’s also impossible to depict the entire song, since there is so much variation. I select the parts that impact my experience of the song the most. I find it easier to paint the visuals than explain what they look like.

How did you know you had synesthesia?

I’ve always experienced it, but never talked about it because I assumed everyone experienced music the same way. One day, I was talking with a friend about how I’ve been in the mood for more purple songs lately, and she had no idea what I was talking about. The more we talked, I realized this wasn’t a common thing and after some research, found out there’s actually a term for it. It explained my lifelong connection to music.

Is it the same for everyone with your kind of synesthesia?

After comparing notes with other synesthetes, the visuals seem to vary person to person. However, for some songs, the colors can be comparable, even if the patterns are not.