My Website

Welcome to The dysLEXIEa Project — a personal and creative platform dedicated to exploring the lived experience of dyslexia and neurodivergence through art, design, and storytelling. As an artist and advocate, I use visual language to challenge conventional ideas about communication, perception, and what is considered "typical."

This website is more than just a portfolio; it's a space for questioning assumptions, sharing insights, and celebrating the unique ways neurodivergent minds engage with the world. You'll find artwork, reflections, and resources designed to make the invisible visible — reframing difference as depth, not deficiency.

My Practice

My current work focuses on visualising the inner workings of the human brain through the medium of charcoal. Using MRI scan images of my brain, I transform something clinical and often inaccessible into a tangible piece of art. The process requires careful attention to texture, tone, and form, capturing both the physical structure of the brain and my personal experience of living with a neurological condition.

This practice is about more than just aesthetics. It’s about creating something deeply personal that encourages viewers to rethink how we view the brain, the body, and the intersection of art and science. The absence of clear boundaries in the charcoal drawings reflects the fluidity I often experience with my condition, where thoughts and processes don’t always follow linear paths.

About Me

Hi, I’m Lexie – Artist. Researcher. Neurodivergent Thinker.

I’m an artist working primarily in charcoal and paint, focusing on exploring the internal and external experiences of living with dyslexia. My work is rooted in personal narrative, research, and emotion, especially how we see and process visual information differently.

At age 21, I was officially diagnosed with dyslexia. That moment helped me connect the dots between how I experienced the world — sometimes in fragments, sometimes all at once — and how I created art. My brain works in ways that can be challenging, but it also offers a unique visual logic, one that I've learned to embrace, explore, and share through my work.

I am completing a degree in Fine Art and working toward becoming an art educator for students aged 16+. I’m passionate about teaching art as a skill and a way of seeing, feeling, and thinking differently. My goal? It is to create space for neurodiversity in art and show that thinking differently can be a strength, not a limitation.

Critical Engagement with My Condition

Living with dyslexia has shaped the way I approach my artwork. I’ve found that dyslexia enhances my ability to see the world in a less structured way, which has profoundly influenced my art practice. I often focus on non-linear, abstract representations, where emotions and ideas precede conventional logic. This freedom from structure allows me to explore concepts others might find difficult or inaccessible.

Research & Theory

My work is shaped by both my lived experience and ongoing research into dyslexia and neurological conditions. Dyslexia is often misunderstood as a purely academic challenge, but its impact on creativity is just as significant. My work challenges the misconception that individuals with learning differences are less capable or creative.

Living with dyslexia has enhanced my ability to approach problems from new and innovative angles. Creating art from MRI scans connects with my research into how dyslexia affects visual perception and spatial awareness. I draw on studies showing that individuals with dyslexia often excel in visual-spatial reasoning, pattern recognition, and creative problem-solving. These abilities directly inform my work, allowing me to approach art more intuitively and non-linearly.

Professional Development

Through this website, I aim to showcase the evolution of my creative practice. This space serves as a portfolio and reflects my ongoing professional development. It also provides a platform to connect with others who share similar experiences, offering insight into how dyslexia can shape and inform an artistic practice.

I regularly reflect on my artistic journey — from experimenting with new mediums and techniques to critically analysing how my condition influences my approach to art. This self-reflection process is essential for my creative growth and career development. I am committed to continually challenging myself and expanding my understanding of the intersection between art, science, and dyslexia.

Process & Research

This project began as a personal exploration and visual investigation into how dyslexia affects perception. My goal was to move beyond surface-level definitions of neurodivergence and make what often remains unseen visible — how thought, reading, and comprehension feel when filtered through a dyslexic lens.

I researched medical imagery, such as MRI brain scans and neurological diagrams, to better understand how the brain processes language physically. These images informed my use of layered textures, repetitive marks, and fragmented forms — visually echoing the mental looping, disruption, and reorganization that can occur when decoding language.

I also studied how typography and legibility affect communication, experimenting with reversed text, obscured words, and non-linear arrangements to represent cognitive distortion. I intentionally created moments of disorientation to mirror how neurodivergent minds might navigate text or space.

In terms of materials, I chose:

Watered-down paint to reflect thought fluidity and emotional intensity

Charcoal to evoke rough, raw processing and impermanence

Cloth as a metaphor for softness, flexibility, and the hidden layers of identity

Throughout my sketchbook, I trialed different compositions, studied brain pathways, and annotated reflections from my own experiences with dyslexia. I also examined artists and designers working with neurodivergent perspectives and communication systems.

Sketchbook Development

The development of this body of work was rooted in sustained experimentation, critical reflection, and an evolving understanding of how to visually express the lived experience of dyslexia. My sketchbook became an essential space for research-led inquiry and creative testing, serving not just as a preparatory tool but as a parallel space for visually and conceptually exploring ideas.

Within its pages, I explored:

Visual responses to neurological and MRI brain imagery, interpreting internal mapping through layered mark-making

Repetitive drawing and writing as a method to express cognitive looping and language distortion

Material tests using obscured handwriting, fragmented text, and mixed-media overlays to reflect disrupted communication

Annotated reflections and research excerpts on neurodiversity, typography, and the socio-cultural framing of dyslexia

This iterative process allowed me to interrogate how form and material communicate internal states, particularly those often dismissed or pathologised in neurodivergent individuals. I critically examined the gap between perception and language through the sketchbook, exploring how creative practice can make unseen experiences visible.

Rather than functioning as a linear plan, the sketchbook evolved into a visual dialogue that informed, challenged, and deepened the final outcomes.

Conclusion

Through this website, I aim to highlight my creative work and the evolving process behind it, encompassing my professional development, conceptual research, and personal reflections that shape my practice. As someone living with dyslexia, I see this platform as an opportunity to critically engage with both my condition and the broader creative industry, exploring how neurodivergence can shape, challenge, and enrich artistic expression.

This project allows me to document and share how I combine science, art, and lived experience to create visually impactful, conceptually grounded work. It represents an ongoing dialogue between internal perception and external communication — a way of translating the invisible processes of the mind into a visual language that invites reflection, empathy, and awareness.

By making my practice public, I am also building an emerging professional profile that embraces vulnerability, experimentation, and advocacy. I want this site to reflect the complexity of my journey as an artist, not just the outcomes — a place where viewers can witness growth, engage in conversation, and appreciate the value of difference as something creative, not corrective.

My Intentions

The dysLEXIEa Project is a creative and educational platform that reimagines how we perceive dyslexia and neurodivergent minds. Driven by a commitment to spreading awareness, challenging stereotypes, and fostering a deeper understanding of cognitive differences, this project uses art, language, and personal narrative to make the often-invisible experiences of dyslexia visible, tangible, and emotionally resonant.

This work is not about fixing what has been labelled as broken but redefining what we consider "normal." The dysLEXIEa Project exists to confront the stigma and misunderstanding that so often surrounds neurodiversity, offering instead a more nuanced, empathetic, and empowering perspective. I use experimental visual methods — from reversed text and distorted imagery to raw, tactile materials — to communicate how navigating a world not built for your way of thinking feels.

I aim to create space for curiosity, reflection, and conversation through this platform. Whether you're neurodivergent yourself, supporting someone who is, or simply seeking to learn more, The dysLEXIEa Project invites you to see differently, think differently, and value the richness that cognitive diversity brings to our shared human experience. By making internal experiences external, I seek to increase awareness, encourage dialogue, and contribute to a more inclusive and compassionate understanding of how we all process and perceive the world.

My Vision

The vision of The dysLEXIEa Project is to create a world where neurodivergent experiences — particularly those shaped by dyslexia — are understood and deeply valued. I envision a cultural shift where cognitive differences are embraced as essential to the richness of human expression, rather than being treated as limitations.

This platform seeks to be part of that shift by using art as a bridge between internal experience and external understanding.

My artwork is central to this vision. Through fragmented text, visual distortion, layered materials, and symbolic imagery, I translate the lived realities of dyslexia into physical form. Each piece serves as a personal expression and a public act of reframing, challenging the assumption that clarity, speed, and conformity are the markers of intelligence or value. Instead, my work invites slow looking, emotional connection, and critical thought.

It asks viewers to reconsider not just how they see art, but how they see difference. This project imagines a future where neurodivergent voices are amplified, education systems are more inclusive, and creative practices are recognised as valid forms of communication for those whose minds operate outside traditional frameworks.

By visually and conceptually communicating the nuance of dyslexic experience, I hope to inspire empathy, spark dialogue, and contribute to long-term cultural change.

Ultimately, the dysLEXIEa Project envisions a world where diversity in perception is not merely accepted but celebrated, not as an exception to the norm, but as a vital part of it.