Matt Maes

When you look back at the timeline of your life, what urge do you find inside of yourself that needs to come out? For myself, the song of creativity has lived within my heart since I was 7 years old, when I discovered drawing. Little did I know from such an early age that it would not only become my prime source of joy but in fact save my life when I needed it most.

Being diagnosed with Asperger's, watching my parents getting divorced, feeling disconnected from peers around me, all at the same time contributed to a deep loneliness that took many years to climb out from underneath.

Many assumptions exist around people on the spectrum, not the least of which is a lack of ability to connect with others, let alone form a family of their own. Today, I'm proud to say I've not only accomplished these but many other feats unseen in those who came before me, and I'm here to show what people on the spectrum are truly capable of while giving my younger self all that he never thought he could have.

In addition to conquering chronic suicidal depression and addiction, I'm a first generation college graduate, creative entrepreneur and educator, husband and father, podcast host, Founding member of an international organization, mythical visual artist, published illustrator and public speaker.

My mission is to demonstrate and break open assumptions about what's possible for people on the spectrum, to reverse the narrative of deficiency and lean into that which we already know: We hold greatness inside ourselves and it's time we truly step into that seat of brilliance!