Minnesota artist Michael Shay, who lives with autism, is achieving his artistic dream with focus, determination and typography.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. For Michael Shay, that’s literally true.
“Instead of a brush stroke, it’s line and typography,” Michael Shay said.
His passion for art started when he was 4 years old.
“I used to draw with watercolor paints, used to draw with chalk on the sidewalk,” he said.
Today, at age 33, he’s a successful graphic artist and designer. Typography and fonts are his specialty. But his road wasn’t easy. He was diagnosed with autism around age 8.
“There were points when I was young I couldn’t speak. I had a speech coach. There were a lot of challenges,” he said.
Challenges he overcame with the support of his family and his own determination. Now, his work is in high-profile places like U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, home of the Minnesota Vikings.
“He’s such a blessing for us,” said mom Becky Shay. “Like we’ve always said, he’s made our family better.”
Bruce Shay says his son “has vision.”
“He can see stuff that nobody else sees and turns it into a fabulous piece of art,” Bruce Shay said.
An art of focus, honed by his ability to use his autism to his advantage.
“It just kept driving me to get better and driving me to find my talent and skill and just not to give up,” Michael Shay said.
