Mark Noble shares his story and tell us how he puts his creavitiy down to his dyslexia
Thursday 4 February 2021
鈥淪ometimes it鈥檚 a blessing in disguise in that it can give you a creative edge.鈥� Mark believes his dyslexia has given him deeper creativity, leading him to his greatest achievement so far - displaying his art at an exhibition in Westminster. Read Mark鈥檚 story and his advice to those that have also been diagnosed with dyslexia.
I was diagnosed in 2001. I was struggling with the 鈥楴ew Start Course鈥� at Strode College and discussed this with one of the managers there. I took part in a special assessment and was given the diagnosis shortly afterwards.
I find literacy and numeracy difficult. Some everyday activities like reading bus timetables can be very challenging. The positive thing is that I鈥檓 a creative and very visual person. I would say I鈥檓 observant and sensitive to light and colour. This helps enormously when studying/producing art.
I have received lots of support and understanding from family and friends. Charities like SANE have helped me creatively. Students from Bath Spa and Strode College have also been supportive.
One of my biggest achievements was being selected by the government to display art at an exhibition in Westminster, celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Disability Rights Act. I鈥檓 also proud of the fact that I鈥檝e raised money at exhibitions/arts events for charities such as Children鈥檚 World and SANE.
My advice for someone who has recently been diagnosed with dyslexia:
Try to get as much support as possible 鈥� don鈥檛 be shy. Research different charities, be inspired, be creative and most importantly, don鈥檛 let it get you down! Technology really helps too, for example, text to speech services, audio books and so on.
Sometimes it鈥檚 a blessing in disguise in that it can give you a creative edge. You can learn to work and live with it. Some of the world鈥檚 greatest minds have been diagnosed with dyslexia: Einstein, Walt Disney, Stephen Fry, Jackie Stewart and Richard Branson to name a few.