Melissa McCracken, Just "Painting What She Hears"

When I scanned quickly past the title of this Great Big Story video -- "Painting What She Hears" -- my first thought was that someone had made a mistake when uploading it. Then I realized someone had, in fact, made a mistake. Except it was me, because the video was about a synesthetic artist, who was actually "painting what she hears."

Melissa McCracken thought everyone associated colors with music the same way she did. But she soon realized that her senses were unique. The Kansas City-based artist is a synesthete, and she is able to translate sound into vivid paintings.
Attribution(s): Artwork, publicity images, and stills are the property of Melissa McCracken and Great Big Story.