‘Your difficulty’s dont define you’
Portsmouth – London – Portsmouth
November 11th
Today I am taking part in the Debate at DYSPLA – Camden Peoples Theatre: Dyslexia a help or hindrance?
http://www.dysthelexi.com/dyspla-2013/
An easy answer that wont make a long or interesting blog post is – people and social imposition is the hindrance – but im not going to leave it there – I’m often asked if I hadn’t been dyslexic what would I be doing – I’m going to swap dyslexia for Neurodiverse so it covers my autism too as that’s an integral part of my thinking and process – for creative thinking as an artist whatever that means I find it invaluable…..
Yes I was abused at school and maybe just maybe I would have had an easier time of it but that’s not what counts – yes its been difficult because of the effect years of bullying had on me at school and after – yes it did contribute to me becoming a ‘broken person’ in regards to self confidence but it also made me stronger in others.
Now I make ‘because’ not ‘despite’
Thursday
A long day – awake at 5am but didn’t get up till 7 as OH taken unwell – sorting her out to doctors left me late for heading into work – no problem there – in first proper day with new support – welcome.
emails – systemizing – confidence raised – meetings – involved – encouraged – it’s not that hard to accommodate neurodiversity in the workplace
Walk home and notice all traces of the tree have gone except for sawdust – all smoothed over – you would never have known
tear repair
Home – eat – prepare
Time for the train
sit with headphones on and scribble words
it rains
it gets dark
its the slow train
at last an arrival snack
‘After-hours’ underground train is good for my personal space and Warren St station usually not exited on the change towards Cambridge is left behind into the rain – head to Theatre just across the road interchange
Welcome
talk – meet – drink
but unable to have any of the wonderful looking food due to ‘killer allergy’
Chat with fellow debaters – BP a dyslexic artist who ironically was talking later in the day at Cheltenham Science Festival the day I met SBC.
I need to talk 15 minutes – but what should I do? The same talk I give a variation or just do something different – ‘in the moment’ I decide I will do something ‘opposite’ instead – no pictures – an off the cuff performance – Neurodiverve or neuroperverse!
start
order
1 speaker
2 speaker
me
start not as artist but as anti-artist who by a fluke of genetics is not dyslexic – list all the things I never did as I had the ‘bestest’ most perfect time at school
‘never gifted
with dyslexia
by a quirk
of fate
his life was 2D linear
finger pinch
perfect
there was no
life rollercoaster’
its over
questions
lights up
too quick
chat
trains a mess
so
need
to leave
early – disappointment
head towards Warren St
down on the platform I am
distracted
by the granite
it sounds good
fast train home
last train home
without a bus journey
Home
winding down
in quietness
Choosing
which bit of me
creativity
can be
dyslexic
and which
autistic
but the percentage
oscillates
every time I check
light out
