Posts
So here we are. The night before the festival kicks off. Everyone is working flat out to get everything done in time. Thanks to everyone for all their hardwork so far. And now the fun really starts.
But it won't be so much fun if no one comes to see the shows. It's only a small theatre but please keep encouraing people to book their tickets. Encourage people to come and see your work, our work, everyone's work.
Just come.
Looking forward to meeting you all properly and seeing your wonderful creativity in full swing.
Break a leg!
Monday 19 March 2007
Saturday 17 March 2007
I have just read the piece from Mr/Mrs anonymous. I won't pretend it didn't rattle me, and unfortunately, it is not the first time I've heard such opinions.
Let me explain: I have spent 50% of my life being stupid because I was told I was. What you think, you become. When I was introduced to the Arts Dyslexia Trust that suggested the dyslexic had created abilities, my misconception became a conception of ideas.
At the time I wasn't aware of any creative ability that I may have. But because somebody told me that I was creative, I started to search and find that creativity within. Years later I have written novels, poetry, textbooks, articles... I'm creative all right, creative beyond my dreams.
I don't believe that I am better than anyone else, nor worse. I think in a particular way that allows me to express myself visually, dynamically and from a place where I can see the world from way up high. With these skills I celebrate life through my creativity. I cannot separate my creativity from my dyslexia, because the way I am creatively, is directly linked to how I think, and how I think is directly linked to my dyslexia.
In my opinion, every individual is special, unique, and has something wonderful to offer the world. I don't believe that anyone is stupid; stupidity is a state of mind based on someone else's judgement. Stupidity is a choice, not a limitation of someone's mind. I have never met anyone stupid, dyslexic or non-dyslexic, but I have met many a person who cannot see because they have been blindfolded by set ideas and conditioning.
I hope the work we are celebrating doesn't make anyone feel inadequate, dyslexic or non-dyslexic, but instead, inspire and encourage each and every one of us to celebrate what we have to offer the world. Remember, I was a stupid person who became bright and creative through someone pointing out the pluses not the minuses of my way of thinking. Who knows what potential lives inside each and every one of us, dyslexic or non-dyslexic: ‘those who seek will find’.
Thank you missfitproductions for allowing us to celebrate who we are.
Let me explain: I have spent 50% of my life being stupid because I was told I was. What you think, you become. When I was introduced to the Arts Dyslexia Trust that suggested the dyslexic had created abilities, my misconception became a conception of ideas.
At the time I wasn't aware of any creative ability that I may have. But because somebody told me that I was creative, I started to search and find that creativity within. Years later I have written novels, poetry, textbooks, articles... I'm creative all right, creative beyond my dreams.
I don't believe that I am better than anyone else, nor worse. I think in a particular way that allows me to express myself visually, dynamically and from a place where I can see the world from way up high. With these skills I celebrate life through my creativity. I cannot separate my creativity from my dyslexia, because the way I am creatively, is directly linked to how I think, and how I think is directly linked to my dyslexia.
In my opinion, every individual is special, unique, and has something wonderful to offer the world. I don't believe that anyone is stupid; stupidity is a state of mind based on someone else's judgement. Stupidity is a choice, not a limitation of someone's mind. I have never met anyone stupid, dyslexic or non-dyslexic, but I have met many a person who cannot see because they have been blindfolded by set ideas and conditioning.
I hope the work we are celebrating doesn't make anyone feel inadequate, dyslexic or non-dyslexic, but instead, inspire and encourage each and every one of us to celebrate what we have to offer the world. Remember, I was a stupid person who became bright and creative through someone pointing out the pluses not the minuses of my way of thinking. Who knows what potential lives inside each and every one of us, dyslexic or non-dyslexic: ‘those who seek will find’.
Thank you missfitproductions for allowing us to celebrate who we are.
Preparation time - what an eye opener
I felt it was needed to perform my work to as many audiences as I could find willing. Having been a bit of a closet writer I have not shared shared my work openly in such a way.
To be directly in front of an audience, and to watch their faces as you share your work gives you a direct connection and feedback. I have had people: crying, smiling, enjoying and thinking about my thought-provoking words.
It has been such an eye-opener, what I have to say has suddenly come to life and those that have heard my work, have been changed in some way by my words. The feedback has been so varied and so personal. I now realise criticism in the past for work I have done could well have been someone's opinion rather than a direct reflection on how good my work was. I have had some wonderful feedback in the past but I tended to forget that in favour of the less positive.
The good thing is, I haven't had negative feedback with regard to my performance work for this festival. But I am beginning to understand that writing is not there to be liked but to be stimulating, invoking, emotionally engaging, in whatever way it comes out.
I would like to thank the festival organisers for this amazing platform that gets people like me out of the closet so that I can be heard,
Thank you
Emma
Wednesday 14 March 2007
Getting Closer
Well folks, the very first DYS(the)LEXI festival is approaching now.
Don't forget that we're holding an exciting and innovative creative workshop on this Sunday (the 18th) at the Barons Court in the morning. It would be great to see some more of you there. Any work that comes out of the festival could be performed on our final day, Sunday the 25th, in our giant celebration of all things neurodiverse and creative. Please book your place by emailing dysthelexi@gmail.com - and hurry, only 10 places left!
And keep selling tickets. We need people to come and support the festival. Lennie and I both want to make DYS(the)LEXI an annual event - and it will be a lot easier if this event is well supported and attended.
Looking forward to seeing you all soon.
Rachel
Don't forget that we're holding an exciting and innovative creative workshop on this Sunday (the 18th) at the Barons Court in the morning. It would be great to see some more of you there. Any work that comes out of the festival could be performed on our final day, Sunday the 25th, in our giant celebration of all things neurodiverse and creative. Please book your place by emailing dysthelexi@gmail.com - and hurry, only 10 places left!
And keep selling tickets. We need people to come and support the festival. Lennie and I both want to make DYS(the)LEXI an annual event - and it will be a lot easier if this event is well supported and attended.
Looking forward to seeing you all soon.
Rachel
A message of support we have received from a dyslexic novelist:
"What you are doing - celebrating the particular creativity of the dyslexic brain - is really excellent. Too often we accept the implication of the name 'dyslexia' and define the condition in terms of our specific weaknesses. So all power to you, and the best of luck with the festival."
"What you are doing - celebrating the particular creativity of the dyslexic brain - is really excellent. Too often we accept the implication of the name 'dyslexia' and define the condition in terms of our specific weaknesses. So all power to you, and the best of luck with the festival."
Monday 5 March 2007
dear Anonymous
Anonymous said...
People with dyslexia are just NORMAL people. Some are very intelligent, some are stupid, most are average. Some are incredibly creative, some couldn't think how to escape from a wet paper bag and most are average.
Dylexia does not come with a creativity 'gift'. Some dyslexics are very creative in the same way as some people with red hair are too! You are creative people who happen to be dyslexic - or dyslexic people who happen to be creative - however you wish to view it.
This matters because of what you are inadvertantly saying to ordinarily creative dyslexics (the vast majority) who feel doubly hard done by or even worse, doubly stupid because they don't seem to have this 'gift'.
----
dear Anonymous
thank-you for your message. dyslexics are normal people. if only we knew what normal was. maybe it matters maybe it doesn't. dyslexia is generally diognosed using what is called a discrepency model, which means it is identified when there appears to be a discrepancy between expected and actual attainment (Snowling, 2000: 16). this generally means you cannot be dyslexic and stupid, however, if you are suggesting that dyslexia shoudl be diogosed through the pattern model (miles) then i can see your view point - although this perspective is widely criticised for being too broad. thus the very methods of diognoses is thought on the one hand exclusive and on the other over inclusive, which problematises the very notion of dyslexia.
this is i guess where the who 'dyslexia is a myth' preposeal came from - documeneed on tv last year and followed up by the 'death of dyslexia conference' - where most speakers tended to agree that dyslexia DOES exist and the commenst it is a myth was generally unhelpful
you say that "Dylexia does not come with a creativity 'gift" well ... there is evidence (miles) that dyslexics are generally psychologically different rather than soley having an impariment in relation to reading and writing. and there was some suggestiong that it could be linked with creativeity (west, 1990). in this view one of dyslexias attributes would be 'pattern' or visual thinking - this is an idea that has come into circulation and support over the last decade or so and an aspect highlighted by a significant number of independent researchers (Geschwind, 1982; Gordon, 1983; Rourke & Finlayson, 1978; Winner & Casey, 1993; Winner, Casey, DaSilva, & Hayes, 1991).
i am a bit of a postmodernist at heart - and tend not to believe in any absolute authority - therere i believ ein multipe truths. however i can assure you that it is certainly not the aim of my work to make "the vast majority" to feel "doubly hard done by .... doubly stupid because they don't seem to have this 'gift'" ... rather to create a space in which dyslexics brace the idea of seaking, sharing idewas, and exploring their potential so as to create change. the change i would like to see is to move away from the perspective that having dyslexia is a curse ... or something that needs a cure ... and to have more dyslexics doing something about defining their own needs, rather than having them defined by non dyslexics ...
I am most grateful to (wonderful dyslexic) rebecca longcrane who inspired me with this thought on the matter ...
After seeing the colourful graphs and
complex data we begin to dismember ourselves.
Our minds are chopped up into good and bad.
I can’t do this but I might be able to do that.
It’s a mental dissection, where a scalpel is carefully,
lovingly, drawn along the innards of the mind,
slicing the brain, separating it into
clear, transparent, distinct sections.
What you’re good at and what you’re not so good at
can’t be connected; what hurts you, gives you pain,
can’t be a part of what saves you.
It’s a rule, a law.
To see the two as one is out of the question.
People with dyslexia are just NORMAL people. Some are very intelligent, some are stupid, most are average. Some are incredibly creative, some couldn't think how to escape from a wet paper bag and most are average.
Dylexia does not come with a creativity 'gift'. Some dyslexics are very creative in the same way as some people with red hair are too! You are creative people who happen to be dyslexic - or dyslexic people who happen to be creative - however you wish to view it.
This matters because of what you are inadvertantly saying to ordinarily creative dyslexics (the vast majority) who feel doubly hard done by or even worse, doubly stupid because they don't seem to have this 'gift'.
----
dear Anonymous
thank-you for your message. dyslexics are normal people. if only we knew what normal was. maybe it matters maybe it doesn't. dyslexia is generally diognosed using what is called a discrepency model, which means it is identified when there appears to be a discrepancy between expected and actual attainment (Snowling, 2000: 16). this generally means you cannot be dyslexic and stupid, however, if you are suggesting that dyslexia shoudl be diogosed through the pattern model (miles) then i can see your view point - although this perspective is widely criticised for being too broad. thus the very methods of diognoses is thought on the one hand exclusive and on the other over inclusive, which problematises the very notion of dyslexia.
this is i guess where the who 'dyslexia is a myth' preposeal came from - documeneed on tv last year and followed up by the 'death of dyslexia conference' - where most speakers tended to agree that dyslexia DOES exist and the commenst it is a myth was generally unhelpful
you say that "Dylexia does not come with a creativity 'gift" well ... there is evidence (miles) that dyslexics are generally psychologically different rather than soley having an impariment in relation to reading and writing. and there was some suggestiong that it could be linked with creativeity (west, 1990). in this view one of dyslexias attributes would be 'pattern' or visual thinking - this is an idea that has come into circulation and support over the last decade or so and an aspect highlighted by a significant number of independent researchers (Geschwind, 1982; Gordon, 1983; Rourke & Finlayson, 1978; Winner & Casey, 1993; Winner, Casey, DaSilva, & Hayes, 1991).
i am a bit of a postmodernist at heart - and tend not to believe in any absolute authority - therere i believ ein multipe truths. however i can assure you that it is certainly not the aim of my work to make "the vast majority" to feel "doubly hard done by .... doubly stupid because they don't seem to have this 'gift'" ... rather to create a space in which dyslexics brace the idea of seaking, sharing idewas, and exploring their potential so as to create change. the change i would like to see is to move away from the perspective that having dyslexia is a curse ... or something that needs a cure ... and to have more dyslexics doing something about defining their own needs, rather than having them defined by non dyslexics ...
I am most grateful to (wonderful dyslexic) rebecca longcrane who inspired me with this thought on the matter ...
After seeing the colourful graphs and
complex data we begin to dismember ourselves.
Our minds are chopped up into good and bad.
I can’t do this but I might be able to do that.
It’s a mental dissection, where a scalpel is carefully,
lovingly, drawn along the innards of the mind,
slicing the brain, separating it into
clear, transparent, distinct sections.
What you’re good at and what you’re not so good at
can’t be connected; what hurts you, gives you pain,
can’t be a part of what saves you.
It’s a rule, a law.
To see the two as one is out of the question.
Friday 2 March 2007
becoming visable
hi
trying to make a contribution but having to make up words in between thoughts of other expressions. not always able to refine the seniment and this is apparently quite pretentious. i wanna say thanks to lennie for making this happy hi to the people that i havent met, wow to mike and michelle that i have met either cybically or mometerily, who are doing amazing things and making really worthwil contribution to the . refining of the dyslexia concept from a better, more refreshing angel or angle never remember which. angels with anles must be ok anyway. flighty in a cubic kind of way. but yeah - everything that contributes to people becoming aware of different ways of viewing dyslexia - and i think that rcnceptualising went completely awry ... aria ... aray .. arrie? i cant remember but deconformed. n ot wll forumalted. miss formulated. all efforst to link dyslexia with creativity are valuable because creativti is in itself valuable. as is dyslexia - even though so much more needs to be understood before the forms and the dimensions of this claim are fully clear - and i think that the onlyu way a better understadning of these dimensins and forms are going to become clear is by dyslexic people experiemtting and exploring and pushing the boundaries ... and this envolves performance but it also involves thought and talking.
milke asked how did dyslexia affect you creatvity (brilliant question) mine is: if there was a metaphor that describes what dyslexia means to you - what would it be?
thanks anyone who is contributing to RASP - anyone yet to send a script the quicker the better cause time is tocking
kindly, nim
trying to make a contribution but having to make up words in between thoughts of other expressions. not always able to refine the seniment and this is apparently quite pretentious. i wanna say thanks to lennie for making this happy hi to the people that i havent met, wow to mike and michelle that i have met either cybically or mometerily, who are doing amazing things and making really worthwil contribution to the . refining of the dyslexia concept from a better, more refreshing angel or angle never remember which. angels with anles must be ok anyway. flighty in a cubic kind of way. but yeah - everything that contributes to people becoming aware of different ways of viewing dyslexia - and i think that rcnceptualising went completely awry ... aria ... aray .. arrie? i cant remember but deconformed. n ot wll forumalted. miss formulated. all efforst to link dyslexia with creativity are valuable because creativti is in itself valuable. as is dyslexia - even though so much more needs to be understood before the forms and the dimensions of this claim are fully clear - and i think that the onlyu way a better understadning of these dimensins and forms are going to become clear is by dyslexic people experiemtting and exploring and pushing the boundaries ... and this envolves performance but it also involves thought and talking.
milke asked how did dyslexia affect you creatvity (brilliant question) mine is: if there was a metaphor that describes what dyslexia means to you - what would it be?
thanks anyone who is contributing to RASP - anyone yet to send a script the quicker the better cause time is tocking
kindly, nim
Thursday 1 March 2007
we have bigger brains you know
Hi all
My name is Mike Juggins and I am making a documentary about this wonderfull festival. I met some of you last week and was very impressed by the talent you all have. I have been active on the issue of dyslexia for a long while and this event is a real fill up for me… dyslexics of the world untie (spelt correctly!)
I have a 4 min doc at chan 4 web site if people want to know about my politics regards dyslexia. But for once this is a chance to be positive and celebrate. I am performance painting on the Tuesday (my birthday!) and am looking forward to that imensly. The paint will be my narritive.
Regards the doc… I aim to make a one hour piece and this means that I cant guarentee everyone having their whole performance in the final doc. However I will endevour to included as many people as possible in some way or another. I should be able to record all the live stuff so if people want just their own stuff for promotional purposes then have a chat to me during the week in march and we can sort something out maybe.
If anyone has not filled in a release form then please email me at mike@juggins1.freeserve.co.uk and I will send one digitally.
If I could also ask people to have a think about how their dyslexia impacts on the creative practice then that would be cool. It doesn’t need a speech or essay (lol) but I will be interviewing dyslexics to give the doc a clear context.
Well enough already, no one likes reading pages and pages of text.
Cheers
Mike
My name is Mike Juggins and I am making a documentary about this wonderfull festival. I met some of you last week and was very impressed by the talent you all have. I have been active on the issue of dyslexia for a long while and this event is a real fill up for me… dyslexics of the world untie (spelt correctly!)
I have a 4 min doc at chan 4 web site if people want to know about my politics regards dyslexia. But for once this is a chance to be positive and celebrate. I am performance painting on the Tuesday (my birthday!) and am looking forward to that imensly. The paint will be my narritive.
Regards the doc… I aim to make a one hour piece and this means that I cant guarentee everyone having their whole performance in the final doc. However I will endevour to included as many people as possible in some way or another. I should be able to record all the live stuff so if people want just their own stuff for promotional purposes then have a chat to me during the week in march and we can sort something out maybe.
If anyone has not filled in a release form then please email me at mike@juggins1.freeserve.co.uk and I will send one digitally.
If I could also ask people to have a think about how their dyslexia impacts on the creative practice then that would be cool. It doesn’t need a speech or essay (lol) but I will be interviewing dyslexics to give the doc a clear context.
Well enough already, no one likes reading pages and pages of text.
Cheers
Mike
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