During three years of touring Australian primary schools with my synaesthesia show, Colours of Home, I met thousands of school children, and I especially remember those who self-identified as synaesthetic.

They were often shy, but transported by the power of live music, often, but not always, girls, and most people had never told anyone before. Here are some of the artworks they shared:

Raising Awareness for Neurodiversity in the Arts

I’m a world-leading musician raising awareness of neurodiversity’s gifts and benefits—particularly the little-understood phenomenon of synaesthesia and its significant contribution to human culture and arts.

My ultimate mission is to help those who may struggle with:

• Sensory overload

• Masking

• Social anxiety

• Burnout or meltdown

• Communication difficulties

• Organisational crises

• Emotional regulation

I do this by creating visionary, immersive musical experiences that explore and celebrate colour.

"Far from being a mere curiosity, synaesthesia may provide a window into perception, thought and language..."  — V.S. Ramachandran & E.M. Hubbard, Journal of Consciousness Studies (2001)

A Neurodiversity-Affirming Approach to Music and Wellbeing

As a neurodiversity-affirming, lived-experience ambassador for synaesthesia, I deliberately use the scientifically supported power and techniques of music to help everyone to relax, self-regulate, and reconnect with their authentic selves.

I share the gifts and stories of synaesthetes, in order to demonstrate the vast and wondrous array of human perception, and to share the diverse experiences of neurodiversity to increase our understanding, to build empathy for hidden disability and to celebrate all the unique minds (past and future) with visionary and creative new ideas that can lead humanity into the future.

“Van Gogh revealed in letters to his brother a synaesthetic relationship to sound, writing: 'Some artists have a nervous hand at drawing, which gives their technique something of the sound peculiar to a violin.' He also reportedly abandoned the piano because each note evoked a different colour and the experience became overwhelming…”  — Emma Taggart, Five Synesthesia Artists, My Modern Met (2019)