Daniel Lewis is a visual artist hailing from the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. Diagnosed with the unique brain power synesthesia, Lewis has a subconscious ability to “see” sounds and “hear” colors, a trait that has led him to a genuine love for art and the human connection.
His clients include Nike Running, Nike Basketball, Jordan, Pepsi, Aeropostale, and more. You can see more of his work on 500px, his website, Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram.
Colors are the main reason that I got into creating visuals. I love manipulating reality and creating new worlds for people to relate to, whether with photo or film.
I grew up in a musical family and was always exposed to hearing sounds on a daily basis and from different places. Whether gospel hymns in church, world music with my grandparents, or hip-hop freestyles on the radio, I’ve been exposed to countless genres of sound.
We see millions of shades and pixels of colors a day so it makes describing something like synesthesia pretty difficult. The best way I can explain it is an omnipresent link between your senses, essentially the ability to “smell colors” or “touch sounds”.
When relating to photography, I can create 3-4 looks off of one image based on emotions alone. Melancholy or reflecting (Drake) emotions feel like warm or softer tones with less clarity. Aggressive or angry emotions (Dark Knight Rises) translate to hard clarity and dark shadows with a cooler temperature.
I have a subconscious ability to draw connections between my senses, often times it’s out of my control.
My mind runs 100 miles per hour all the time, and it can be overwhelming at times, especially in NYC. It reflects in my personality and when people meet me they immediately understand. The biggest challenge has been finding a common ground and a way to connect everything going on in my head and present it in one digestible piece of information at a time.
The true beauty of photography is that it allows me to share my vision as a human as well as an extension of my values in life. The journey never gets easier, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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