because I would try to explain synesthesia so many times,

只是因為我經常要解釋聯覺是甚麼，

it never quite made as much sense to describe it verbally,

用口頭描述聯覺一直都沒甚麼意義，

so I thought it would be best just to put it on canvas

所以我覺得最好的辦法就是用油畫來表示

just because I've always been an artist

因為我是個藝術家

and it made it much easier for people to be able to understand it.

這樣做可以讓人們更容易了解聯覺。

My name is Melissa McCracken,

我是 Melissa McCracken。

and I am a synesthetic artist.

我是個聯覺藝術家。

Synesthesia is a neurological condition

聯覺是一種神經系統疾病

where your brain is basically cross-wired,

你的大腦基本上是交錯聯結的，

so certain stimuli will come in

所以特定的外界刺激會進入

and it'll create the wrong response in my brain.

然後在我的大腦中創造出錯誤的回應。

So for me that's listening to music

所以對我來說，在聽音樂的時候

and it's translated into color in my head.

它會在我的大腦中轉譯成色彩。

I'm going to paint Superstition by Stevie Wonder.

我要畫出 Stevie Wonder 的《Superstition 》。

I love the song Superstition just because

我喜歡《Superstition 》這首歌是因為

it's dynamic and funky and just fun and expressive.

它很有活力、時髦、有趣又充滿表現力。

Whenever I start a piece, I have to listen

當我開始作畫時，我需要先聽一次那首歌，

to the song first to even know what kind of colors I'd like to use.

才能知道我需要用哪些顏色。

There are some songs that I hate

有一些歌我不喜歡，

that I like the way that they look a little bit.

可是它們看起來的模樣讓我有比較喜歡一點。

Like a lot of pop music can be pink and purple

就像許多的流行樂是粉色跟紫色系的，

and, you know just all these fun bright colors

然後，你知道表現出來的全是這些有趣的鮮豔色彩，

but the song's not that good.

但歌實在是不怎麼樣。

So one or the other, I appreciate it somehow.

所以無論如何，某個角度上我還是蠻欣賞的。

You know you kind of have to really be

你知道你必須在正確的氛圍中

in the right vibe to be able to paint.

才能作畫。

If you're not in the right vibe,

如果你不是處於正確的氛圍中，

you're not gonna make anything good.

你就沒辦法做好事。

I think the prettiest genre of music is jazz music.

我覺得最美的音樂體裁是爵士樂。

I love blues and golds and whites,

我喜歡藍色系、金色系與白色，

and it just seems very pearly and iridescent a little bit.

看起來有點珍珠似的，也有點燦爛的感覺。

When I listen to Etta James' At Last,

當我聽著 Etta James 的《At Last》，

the thing that stuck out most to me was just

對我來說最突出的部分是

her voice at the very beginning

她最一開始的聲音，

when she goes into the "At last..."

當她開始唱「At last...」。

♫ At last

♫ At last

And it's just a very bright and but also warm sort

這是個非常明亮，但也很溫暖的感覺，

of feeling and very kind of classic jazzy,

而且很有經典爵士的感覺，

which jazz music generally has a very gold and blue sort of look to it.

那種爵士通常有非常金黃色系跟藍色系的外觀。

Music has always been a very big part of my life.

音樂在我的人生中一直佔有很大比例。

My older brother is very musical

我的哥哥是個很有音樂天分的人

and when I think back of him playing

而當我回想他彈吉他給我聽時，

the guitar for me, I think of the colors of what those memories are.

我回想到的是那些記憶裡有哪些顏色。

I was always a little disappointed

我總是有點受挫，

because I was never very musically inclined.

因為我從來都不擅長音樂。

It was really cool to have a way to bring music into, you know, my life in a different sort of way.

能有一個不同的方法把音樂帶入我的生活真的很酷。