It’s Brain Injury Awareness Month.
On March 6, 2011 my life changed in an instant. Although the injury was technically “mild” according to diagnostic criteria at the time (loss of consciousness/vomiting), we now know that the cascading impact affected structure, function, and chemicals through my brain. The science here is fascinating!
Miraculously, it also allowed for new connections, rewiring old patterns, and the emergence of innate abilities that we all have within - "The Island of Genius" (Dr Treffert) - we just struggle to access it given the importance we assign to our Front Temporal Lobe (FTP).
In other words, our need for logic suppresses quiet intuition.
Absent a functional FTP, with teeth concussed and a vestibular system knocked sideways, all of my senses seemed like they were raw and brand new. Suddenly I could see everything; nothing was edited out as my brain struggled to grasp the magnitude of the world around me.
Having had the opportunity to work with Dr Treffert, he helped me understood that I had what’s called “acquired/sudden savant syndrome.” By some estimates, there are 32 of us in the world (I think there are more).
In our conversations, he was struck by my emerging integration of " left and right hemispheres," although we all know that's an oversimplification. He encouraged continued artistic exploration that would nurture these connections, thereby creating new neuronets unique to savant abilities. That's exactly what I did, and have been cultivating since.
While the above brain healing process is a conversion for another time, I want to share a compilation of my first 2 years post TBI as expressed through Art.
In 2013, I created the following compilation of my healing journey as told through my new language - color. From my first few attempts to gallery ready canvases, all in order by time. Here is that video.
Stay tuned…
I’m about ready to compile 10 years as my next project!