Unlocking Dyslexia With Art
“I understand things visually, by finding them in paint. I don’t know if my dyslexia causes me to be this way, but I have a feeling it does.” — Rachel Deane, painter.
We know lots of facts about dyslexia: It’s the most common reading disorder. It changes the way millions of people read and process information.
But we know much less about how it feels to people who have it. How it shapes your self-image, your confidence and how people see and react to you.
And so I reached out to some really creative people — artists who have dyslexia — to talk about this.
One of the most fascinating things I heard is that dyslexia plays a big role in their creative process. Some said their struggle with written words informs their art. And the struggle to express ideas they can’t in writing makes their art unique.
I asked six of these artists to show me through their work what dyslexia is like. Here’s what they came up with.
1. Gudrun Hasle, fine artist
Gudrun Hasle, “Untitled” (1-5), yarn embroideries on stout, 8.3″ X 11.7″; 2016.
What do you want people to know about dyslexia?
First of all, that dyslexia is a real thing, and secondly, that you can be a very intelligent person despite your handicap.
2. Nick Fagan, fine artist
Nick Fagan, “COME COME,” steel and wood sculpture, 64”x54”x6”; 2016.
For me, language has always been somewhat of a struggle. Specifically, the inability/difficulty to express self through writing has been a particular struggle. In my work I try to see these flaws as a new way of showing language by breaking it down into the physical lines to demonstrate how words are actually made. - Fagan
3. Leslie Chavez, photographer
Instagram: @lesliechavez7
Leslie Chavez, “Fit In,” digital photograph, 2016.
Every day I am stressed, dispirited, and fed up because I never feel satisfied with my work – whether it’s academic, my campus jobs, or an artistic project. In the back of my mind, I have a voice telling me, “You’re not enough, you can’t fit in with the others.” That’s where these emotions rise up and overwhelm me. I work twice as hard as other students to understand what they were able to pick up quickly. My professors are flexible with my learning disability, but once I’m done with school, I won’t have that help. I have to blend in with everyone else and pretend my learning disability won’t affect my job. These feelings will always be there with me. -Chavez
4. Ash Casper, designer and illustrator
Ash Casper, “Oriented,“ acrylic paint and encaustic wax, 8"x8”; 2016.
What do you wish others knew about dyslexia?
My struggle with dyslexia doesn’t define me, and I have never felt defined by it. It was just something that I dealt with and overcame to get where I am today. Art was the answer for me.
Many other people deal with dyslexia on a daily basis, but they don’t let it define them. Dyslexia isn’t some disability that makes you a struggling student for the rest of your life, it is simply a hurdle that some people must jump in order to succeed.
Instagram: @rachelkdeane
Rachel Deane, "In Search for a Weapon I Found My Bonnard Book,“ oil on canvas, 40” x 54"; 2016.
I think that my relationship to my dyslexia manifests itself indirectly in my work. My paintings represent the way I see and process the world, the way I learn information. I learn visually and through narratives rather than by memorization or other standard education practices.
I saw a large retrospective exhibition of (the artist Pierre) Bonnard at the Musée d'Orsay a couple of years ago and was blown away by his use of color and texture. I could not walk away from the exhibition without purchasing the large, heavy catalogue. My Bonnard book protects me visually and emotionally. I think this example shows the way I think, the way I process. I understand things visually, by finding them in paint. I don’t know if my dyslexia causes me to be this way, but I have a feeling it does.
6. Mel Jarvis, illustrator
Instagram: @mjarvis_draws
Mel Jarvis, “Dyslexic Piggy,” ink and digital coloring, 2016.
Dyslexics have to find new and creative ways to do things, we are adaptive. When most directions in life can be challenging to understand, you learn how to do get around needing them. We are great tinkers and thinkers!
This little piggy didn’t need to read the book to know how to outwit the big bad wolf. -Jarvis
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