Today we’d like to introduce you to Lexi Brown.
Hi Lexi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been an artist since the day I was born. My parents knew I was going to be someone different from very early in my life. They never made me feel “different” throughout my childhood though, they saw me for who I am and always nurtured the beauty in being myself.
I was a curious kid, and I never lost that piece of me. I think that foundation of curiosity is what propelled me to explore the world the way I do now.
I grew up a theater kid, taught myself photography at age 12, and won a national Scholastic Art Award for a photograph I took on my mother’s Iphone 4. I received a full ride scholarship to pursue a BFA in musical theater, then transferred schools to complete my BM in Vocal Performance. Alongside my degree, I simultaneously dove into the world of visual art to start photographing editorial fashion in New York. After I graduated from Manhattan School of Music, I received the opportunity to start traveling the world, as well as teaching myself analog photography. I am still doing that to this day, as well as starting to develop my voice as a filmmaker and an author.
So far, my 25 years on this earth have felt like one big, artistic experiment.
I found out through peer review in Elementary school that I saw the world differently. I spent ages 6-23 discovering what it was that made me feel like an “other” or an “outsider,” as I never felt like I fit into a certain group or a box. After many years of questioning, doctor’s appointments, and false diagnoses, I finally started looking into the Autism spectrum. After reading the DSM, as well as many articles that described undiagnosed Autism in adults, I asked my therapist if we could pursue diagnosis. On Valentines day of 2023, I was officially handed my paperwork that confirms that I am, indeed, on the spectrum. This diagnosis changed my life.
Between my journey with Neurodivergence, my career as an artist, and my lifelong passion for travel and adventure, I feel pretty lucky to be living the life I am.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wouldn’t say it’s been a “smooth” road, necessarily. When you look at the challenges I’ve ran into on paper, the road could be perceived as quite bumpy.
Finding out I am on the Autism spectrum at age 23 is not the most fun activity. I think some people would consider finding out you have a neurological condition that’s drastically impacted your life thus far as a “struggle,” but I found it to be a relief.
I felt like I could finally stop asking “what’s wrong with me?” and accept that there’s nothing incorrect about the way I am. I think differently, and that’s okay. After my autism diagnosis, I started exploring the tool of Self Value, and how I see my own story as important. Through being in neurotypical environments my whole life, I learned how to ask for help, and to communicate my needs with those who want to understand. I have also learned to let go of criticism of my life experience from folks who are stuck in the old stigma of what autism looks like. Some people have outdated information, and the only way to break that cognitive dissonance is leading by example.
I’ve learned how to take care of my own sensory needs. It was a struggle for some time as I was learning by trial and error. Through fantastic mentorship and guidance, I have learned how to navigate and communicate my needs with grace, in both neurotypical and neurodivergent environments.
I’ve learned to take the hurdles of life in stride. If we’re using the metaphor of a track meet, I’ve refined my technique, and I run the race differently now. Feeling misunderstood has allowed me to help others understand. and to frame the world in ways they may not have considered before. Through the struggles of my journey, I’ve learned to see the world in technicolor for what it is, and what it can be.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am known as an analog photographer, but I am so much more than that.
My heart is in the travel space. I have a passion for documenting the world and showcasing it’s beauty through photography and writing. I am an emerging film director, and am finding my voice in cinema. I graduated with a bachelor’s of music in Vocal Performance from Manhattan School of Music. Performance is my first love. My love of writing came from the way I was raised to tell stories. I am 100% self taught in the visual art space, but my formal education has been instrumental in learning how to effectively deliver a feeling to my audience.
I’m most proud of my resilience and curiosity. I am hopeful and I am brave. My ability to feel the fear and do it anyway has been a resounding theme throughout my life, especially as a small fish in this vast, metaphorical, earthly pond.
My work is a reflection of the beauty I see in everyday life, and I want to show people that the world is a gorgeous place. I want to inspire artists, especially other autistic and neurodivergent folks, that their voice is not only wanted, it is necessary. Their contribution to our world does not go unnoticed.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I’ve taken a lot of major risks throughout my life. I think I’m wired for it. It’s taken a lot of grace with myself, and a lot of reminders that mistakes are how we learn.
Risk comes in large and small packages. Sometimes it shows up as an opportunity to move across the country with a week’s notice, and sometimes it shows up as smiling to a stranger you find nice looking. I’ve experienced times in my life where going outside my bedroom was a risk. Going to school was a risk. Speaking my mind was a risk. Through the accumulation of uncomfortable experiences in my most fragile moments, I’ve learned what true strength is, and that I have a lot of it. Risk and vulnerability go hand in hand.
Risk is instrumental to learning. You have to make friends with uncertainty to get anywhere in this life. I’ve spent time living in 3 different cities this year, one of which I don’t speak the language. I started a business at age 21 without any knowledge on how businesses are run, all while finishing my bachelor’s degree. I took a leap into filmmaking because the opportunity was ready and available. Hell, I went to school for music in this economy! I knew I could have failed at any of these things, and sometimes I did. It’s cliche, but every failure has truly been a learning experience, and has opened a door to something I couldn’t even fathom. Taking risks taught me where my insecurities are, so I can work through them, let them go, and keep walking on my most authentic life path.
Most importantly, risk taking taught me how to have faith. I think that as humans, we are truly limitless if we let ourselves be. With time, perseverance, joy, belief, and many other descriptive nouns, we can create anything we want out of our lives.
Pricing:
- Every project is different, whether it be photography, filmmaking, writing, or the like. Please reach out if you feel called to work together in order to determine your individual needs!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lexibrownphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexibrownphoto/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@lexibrownphoto?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Image Credits
Amanda Burton, Charis Cheung, Coco Tolentino
