Growing up, I always thought no one understood me.
There were countless times that I couldn’t keep up academically because it was challenging to express myself with words.
This also meant I needed to put in more effort to recognise and understand the world around me (Yes, it is tiring. Until this day, it tires me out!).
Once, a classmate even said that I was ‘weird’. Others thought I was an enigma. This discouraged me.
It is in every human beings’ nature to want to connect, to understand, and to be understood.
As a dyslexic, I found my way of connection through moving images and hence created a feature film to try and reconcile with what I didn’t understand. I’m glad it paid off and the documentary resonated with many.
I hope this will encourage many dyslexics to find their avenues of expression and not be burdened by their limitations!
It is NOT a limitation!
It still takes me double, sometimes triple, the time to find the right words, but one thing is for sure, I embrace my dyslexia and am willing to bring new perspectives (albeit unpopular ones, at times), to the table.
Just be who you are and focus on what you are good at!
Andre and his Olive Tree is now showing on NETFLIX!
Photo credit: Lee Chee Lean
