Artist: Melissa McCracken
Website: melissasmccracken.com
Country: Kansas, USA
Melissa is an artist from Kansas city with a very rare and unique perception when it comes to art, as she suffers from a condition known as Synesthesia, which causes the brain to process stimuli in a different way, in this case, she interprets sounds as colours. Famous songs such as “Imagine” by John Lennon, and “Gravity” by John Mayer, have been transformed from audible to visual thanks to the artist. Not wanting to let such a condition define her, she instead chose to see it as a positive, and use it in her art.
… the most wonderful “brain malfunction” of all is seeing the music I hear.
As Melissa puts it, “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.”
The vivid and striking visuals and intense colours really capture the emotion behind their respective songs.
Images Courtesy Of melissamccracken.com