Anna Partington

I'm Anna, I have been working on a project about the connection between dyslexia, learning and doodling. Dyslexia is a “specific learning difficulty”, which means it causes problems with certain abilities used for learning, such as reading and writing. Unlike a learning disability, intelligence isn’t affected. It’s estimated that up to 1 in every 10 to 20 people in the UK has some degree of dyslexia. When I was very young, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. Since I can remember, I have had to reall…See all

I'm Anna, I have been working on a project about the connection between dyslexia, learning and doodling. Dyslexia is a “specific learning difficulty”, which means it causes problems with certain abilities used for learning, such as reading and writing. Unlike a learning disability, intelligence isn’t affected. It’s estimated that up to 1 in every 10 to 20 people in the UK has some degree of dyslexia. When I was very young, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. Since I can remember, I have had to really concentrate when I read, write and listen. Among many things, I struggle to retain information, construct sentences and read out loud when under pressure. It takes me twice as long as everybody else to do normal cognitive tasks and I can hardly spell. I just have a different way of processing information and this has made me extremely creative. Throughout my life, I have doodled my way through classes, lectures and meetings and at first, this was something that I felt bad about. I would sometimes try and refrain from doodling because I didn’t want to seem distracted or come across disinterested but I began to realise that I was gaining something out of doodling. I was able to take in so much more information, almost subconsciously. I could see a difference in my memory and recall. I noticed other people doing the same which was encouraging. Some of my doodles started to turn into really detailed and stimulating works of art and that led me to focus on the aesthetic element. Similar to seeing shapes in the cloud, I would see shapes, animals and objects within the drawings. I am now creating new pieces most days, introducing colour and selling premium gicleé art prints. The process of making the work is extremely fluid and free. There is no plan or structure which is part of the message.See less