You may have read in my bio and on my social media pages that I am a “synesthete,” so I decided to take an opportunity to explain a little more about what that means. Being a synesthete means that I have synesthesia, which is the overlapping of multiple senses. I have color-sound synesthesia, which means that I see colors when I hear. That is the general idea, but here are some questions I am often asked about my synesthesia: 

How does it work? 

This is a challenging question to answer, as I do not fully understand it myself. When I hear a sound, I see a color in my mind’s eye. The color, shape, and pattern appear to be in my line of sight, as there is a spatial location for it. For example, people’s voices usually appear in a splotch about eighteen inches in front of my face. However, the synesthetic experiences do not prevent me from seeing other things in front of me. I do still see the corresponding colors and shapes when I am listening to something with my eyes closed. 

Is it safe for you to drive? 

Yes! As I mentioned above, the colors and patterns appear mainly in my mind’s eye, so I can still see the world around me. Some loud and/or harsh noises can be extremely distracting (I used to struggle during basketball warm-ups when loud dubstep would play over the speakers), but everyday driving has never been a problem for me. People also experience synesthesia in varying degrees. I have never been tested to discover the strength of my synesthesia, but it is more than a strong association between sound and color and less jarring for me than for some synesthetes who find it to be a constant source of distraction. 

Do you use it to write music? 

I often find myself trying to match the colors of a song to the lyrics or the mood. An angry song might have fiery reds and oranges, while a more pensive number might have serene shades of blue, green, or yellow. So, I would say yes, my synesthesia certainly plays a role in my songwriting. I also try to write songs that blend well with my voice, which I usually perceive as either an olive green or a cerulean blue. 

Do you have perfect pitch? 

Unfortunately, I do not have perfect pitch. This is an interesting point because there are actually two different kinds of color-sound synesthesia. Some synesthetes see a color with a corresponding pitch (music note). For example, a concert C would be the same color no matter the instrument on which it is played. I like to joke that this is the more useful kind of synesthesia, as these folks usually have perfect pitch. The kind of color-sound synesthesia that I have, on the other hand, is based more on the tonal quality of the sound. For me, a C on a piano looks different than a C on a violin, and different people singing the same note will likely be different colors. 

These are just a few of the questions I often receive regarding my synesthesia. It is a common game among my friends to ask things like “what color is my voice?” “what color is a car horn?” “what color is it if I scream in your ear?” And so forth. If you guys have any other questions about synesthesia or just want to learn a little bit more, feel free to reach out to me over email or social media! Thanks so much for reading!