Art and visual impairment

From a very young age, I was interested in art, especially music and to be more specific, the piano was the first instrument that caught my attention.

It should be noted that I was never interested in music because of this well-known stereotype that people with visual disabilities have good ears and that is why they dedicate themselves to music. I was interested in its complexity and in some way at 8 years old, I related its keys to the keys of the computer that I used for my academic development.

Eventually, I was introduced to piano lessons and from that moment my curiosity for art expanded in a great way.

When I was a child and a little in the time of adolescence, I played in recitals, and curiously in all the events, I was wrong in the last note of the piece, a tone or half a tone down.

I went to various courses where I learned the basics of guitar, drums, violin, and singing. At other times I also painted and cooked.

There was one last attempt to present me on stage singing, but it was in an ellipsis because that day was the morning that the sight I had was lost.

Today, I call it a good watershed for life and for art. After much work and accompanied by psychoanalysis, I understood that art is more than what captures the eye as an organ of the body. I understood that music goes beyond sheet music and recitals. I understood that painting goes beyond color and the line goes beyond the dance between hand and eye.

On a trip with my sister and my mother, I had the opportunity for us to go painting. I remember the questions she asked me, how am I going to ask her? What is going to come out of this without seeing?

Relying on a lot of the work done with my analyst, I agreed to go and assumed the experience. I thank myself so much for it because from that event I continued painting, using colors and strokes.

Years later I have been experimenting with engraving in copper and ink on cotton paper and my last open door in the art world was to start playing the violin. These two, both the engraving and the violin, say they need the exactness of the eye to perform, but I can say that there is another way to do it. The line is felt and the arc is learned to listen.

One of the best teachers and friends in the world of art that I have had, at some point she tells me that when we had violin class, she chose to play with her eyes closed to live the experience of doing it without seeing and that we both use the same technique.

In short, art is looked at and is looked at, it is that singular that each one tries to capture with notes, ink, letters, etc.