As a chronic migraine sufferer artist Sarah Nicholson is interested in exploring how the condition has affected both her creativity and her personal development.

Migraine is highly relevant to society as it is one of the most common and disabling afflictions known to man.

Sarah Nicholson is particularly interested in its effects on language, speech, interpretation, and creativity and in the perception of non-migraineurs of these phenomena.

Migraine is an invisible condition and often difficult to diagnose. The complaint of having a headache is a cope-out easy to fake and so easy to dismiss. Migraineurs are often dismissed by doctors as malingerers and there is a particular phrase which is often found in the notes of sufferers; “The patient presented wearing dark glasses”. This lyrical quote is short-hand for the GP thinking that the symptoms are fraudulent. Of course migraineurs often wear dark glasses because of photophobia.

I have many different symptoms of migraine, most distressing for me being my loss of vocabulary; that “tip of the tongue” moment where meaning is lost and people look at me as if I am stupid.

This is ongoing work that I am keen to develop with other sufferers and professionals.