A while back my friend Laura Page, a freelance photographer and journalist, interviewed me about having Tourettes and my life as a superhero. She had some interest in her piece but it all went quiet and I didn’t hear anymore…

…until this morning. I was surprised and pleased to see the article she wrote had been featured in the Independent.

The response so far has been brilliant and I’ve had messages of support and encouragement landing in my inbox all day.

Amongst those was a message form Patrick Graham. Patrick’s a photographer and artist who has Bipolar Disorder. In his email he sent me a link to an amazing set of images he’s created that photographically illustrate various phrases he wrote down during a manic episode. His thoughtful, careful work is both funny and beautiful. What struck me most was the similarity of our approach, to creativity and to our conditions.

For many years I only saw the problems my tics presented, they frightened, embarrassed and upset me. By changing the way I view them and allowing myself to write about, talk about and celebrate Tourettes, I’ve become happier, more confident and better able to meet the daily challenges I face.

If you fancy setting your imagination free but don’t have surreal phrases of your own to illustrate, I invite you to borrow some of mine. Browse the tics (there are nearly 4,000 to choose from) and use them as a springboard for your creativity. You can see all the amazing art they’ve already inspired in the gallery.

Becoming Touretteshero has transformed my life, so now it’s time to change the world one tic at a time.

Photo: Laura Page