I asked permission to place a Carroll Jones painting on my "Raggette" blog, Simple Gifts. From there began a discussion of my current and lasting obsession, my slightly divergent learner, my son. His dyslexia made school a big fat bother. "I'm the biggest dyslexic in New Jersey" said Mr. Jones. I immediately knew I wanted to know him. Why is it, such visionary people are dyslexic? Look it up...Thomas Edison, Albert Einsten, children's author Sally Gardner (waaaaay too cool). Agatha Christie was outsold only by God (the bible).
Creativity and Dyslexia have been determined to be friends. Just don't tell that to a boring bureaucrat who has no right brain dominance, or a psychiatrist who has found a drug to "cure" it. They ALWAYS think they are the best and the brightest...they can't help it, they were born that way. It's the tyranny of the left brain.
Seems Mr. Jones has another trapping of a creative mind. Synaesthesia...the mixing of the senses. He sees the alphabet in colors, as well as numbers. Each has a color associated with it. He was aware of it when he was eight years old, but didn't think that much of it until he discussed it with a friend, who gave him the scientific name for it. For her, he drew a "map" of the symbols and their colors about 10 years ago.
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He wrote a note to me, and sent a copy of the color map in his mind. I wonder if my son...? Nah...
Earlier, he had spoken of what "might have been", had not dyslexia held him back.
Creativity and Dyslexia have been determined to be friends. Just don't tell that to a boring bureaucrat who has no right brain dominance, or a psychiatrist who has found a drug to "cure" it. They ALWAYS think they are the best and the brightest...they can't help it, they were born that way. It's the tyranny of the left brain.
Seems Mr. Jones has another trapping of a creative mind. Synaesthesia...the mixing of the senses. He sees the alphabet in colors, as well as numbers. Each has a color associated with it. He was aware of it when he was eight years old, but didn't think that much of it until he discussed it with a friend, who gave him the scientific name for it. For her, he drew a "map" of the symbols and their colors about 10 years ago.
.jpg)
He wrote a note to me, and sent a copy of the color map in his mind. I wonder if my son...? Nah...
"Hi Rose, here's something completely different. You're interested in someone's psyche to an extent. I forget what you call it but there is a name for it. I found out about ten years ago with the lady I did my only color portrait of about 25 years ago. Diantha Holman. She constantly read horoscopes and would tell me if Mercury was rising for me or something like that. I didn't believe it so much but it is amazingly correct sometimes. Anyway I told her about my ability to see letters and numbers as colors. I thought I would show what I see - and have for 60 years with NO change. I don't know why and people that do this all have different colors. That and $1.00 will buy me a cup of coffee but I thought I would tell you. The colors aren't Exactly correct because I didn't fiddle with each choice as I would have if it was a very seriously request from a doctor.......but it's in the ballpark. Example.........Z is copper to me....the color there is not really copper but there's no copper to pick from. The same with X.......it is silver to me and there is no silver color. Again, I don't know why this happened when I was a child. "
Earlier, he had spoken of what "might have been", had not dyslexia held him back.
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| NYC and Brooklyn Bridge in the 1940's |
"I know now that I 'could have been a contender." In the early 80's I met so many people that could have advanced my career. One, William Schuman, (whom you have never heard of) was one of them. He introduced me to Leonard Bernstein. I got a call from his (L.B.)secretary and was told I was invited to a Christmas party. There were many more but you'll think I'm just name dropping. My lack of participation was do to dyslexia. I couldn't stand up to their intelligence. They were all so witty and glib and brilliant. I couldn't let them know I was (almost) stupid. I'm not - but if you can't express yourself with language you appear that way. Big time pain for me. These people were Rock Stars to me. I'm pretty good in email but that's only because I have a chance the word I want will excite my brain eventually. Not while I'm talking. " (Correspondence 7/1/12)
