Dyslexic Artist Doug Spallacey Uses Exhibition To Raise Awareness Of The Condition

“My careers advisor at school said ‘you can’t be an artist, go to work in a factory’ – and for a while I did.”

Doug Spellacey, now 52, said not much was known about dyslexia when he was at school and, even after he was diagnosed, he did not feel supported.

He said he felt “persecuted” for his disability and his reaction was to be “quite off the wall and psychotic, so I spent my childhood being kicked out of class”.

Taking the careers advisor’s advice to get a job in a factory, he said he met a woman there who convinced him to go to night school where he mainly took art classes.

He got into university to study design and craft on his second attempt, his first application rejected because of his lack of English and maths qualifications.

“My lecturer at night school wrote me a cover letter the next time I applied, asking them to give me a chance because I’d tried really hard,” he said.

Mr Spellacey grew up in London and Basingstoke. He said he moved to Cardiff in his mid 20s, although he cannot remember exactly when – another symptom, he says, of his dyslexia.

He fulfilled his ambition of becoming an artist, working behind the alias Myriad Designs, and now uses his exhibitions to raise awareness of dyslexia and inspire others with disabilities to achieve their goals.

His latest exhibition, a photography collection entitled The Beautiful Side of Dark, will be at Cardiff’s Arteas cafe from 5 October to 7 November.

“Whenever I start an exhibition, I have an opening day to talk to people and discuss the situation that led me to where I am now,” said Mr Spellacey, who is also a support worker for people with learning difficulties.

Dyslexia is commonly known as a reading disorder but he said he also experiences many other problems.

“It affects my short-term memory and it’s difficult to get things into my long-term memory. I have no concept of time, I can’t remember names and dates, they won’t stay in my mind.

“If I’m having a conversation, I won’t be able to think of a word. It can happen to anyone if they’re tired, but it happens to me every day.

“I tend to swear an awful lot because if I swear that gives me time to think of the word, but to the outside world I’m someone who can’t remember names and dates and swears a lot.

“People get the wrong perception of you, so you end up getting frustrated.

“I can’t deal with clutter either. My mind loses things if there’s mess on a table. It could be that I’m looking for a pair of scissors, but I won’t be able to see them. Everything has to be in order.

“Because you can’t see my disability, a lot of people forget about it and I have to keep saying, ‘it’s because of my dyslexia’.”

Mr Spellacey said he wanted to help other people with disabilities like dyslexia to believe in themselves.

“My battle with dyslexia has not been easy,” he said. “I was practically written off by the academic system and I want to tell people, ‘just go for it’.

“I want to encourage people who have dyslexia, and offer hope and guidance where I can. Dyslexia can be life-limiting but with the right support and belief in yourself you can achieve great things.

“There are people out there who will help you. You generally find one organisation will know about other organisations. As soon as you get the ball rolling, you start making other contacts.”

He added: “Dyslexia is like autism in that there’s a wide spectrum. It affects some people mildly and some quite severely, like me.

“If you’re at that end of the spectrum and it’s a struggle to do it by yourself, citizens advice can advise you and go through the information and do the research for you.”

Maggie Hampton, from Disability Arts Cymru, said of Mr Spellacey: “He is a talented artist whose work is exciting and challenging as well as being of a highly professional standard.

“Doug exhibited with us in 2014 and 2015 and we are looking forward to planning more work with him in the near future.”