My name is Max Grasso, approaching 30 years young, and proudly autistic.

 

But in those early years, it was a very different story being severely low functioning on the

spectrum. Very timid, shy, voiceless, anti-social, and in my own corner. Struggling to learn, I needed an extra boost with processing information and getting introduced to the real world though speech and social therapies and a wide variety of brain games in person and on the computer.

Come elementary school, I had both special-ed and regular classes, but spent most of my time in regular classes with the others. I had a helper that would watch over help, and comfort me along my journey through elementary school, and even now, we have a close bond.

 

I had some very influential teachers that left a very positive impact in my growth.

The major turning point that began my progression on the autism spectrum was singing in the choirs from elementary school to college.

This was pivotal because I became more social, made friends, as well as introducing myself to fine arts and my love for music. Singing together, I essentially found my voice, and got more comfortable performing in front of an audience, each with a rewarding experience.

Doors were opened, and more opportunities came. Among them included performing in my school district’s prestigious honor choirs, music festivals, school concerts, as well as performing with the choir at Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm. My love for the fine arts in general only took off with time.

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Simultaneously with music, I was getting introduced to visual art. Inspired by anime and Disney, I had an imagination I didn’t even know I had. I was inspired with anime like Pokémon and Fairy Tail, as well as Disney classics like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, the Aristocats, Fantasia, and many more. My art style is like 2D Anime.

 

To me, it all starts with a stroke, becoming a line, becoming a collection of lines and curves, becoming shapes, becoming objects, characters, landscapes…you-name-it, I brought to life. As my art continues to evolve, the sense of accomplishment never ceases to amaze me; looking back on many of my creations asking, “Did I seriously make this?”

This inspires me to keep going and let my imagination run wild, leading to my own original character species known as the Furry Feral Furrals (Furry + Feral = Furral).

 

Among them is Maxo – my fursona, Forte – a vibrant yellow musical feline whose 5 whiskers symbolize the 5 bars on a music staff, Beatty Stallion – a horse and a cat put together with the spirit of the Wild West, and Faith – another fusion of a horse and cat with wisdom, motivation, and knowledge beyond the cosmos.

In my 30 years of life, I went from a severely autistic kid who was unsure how long I’d last in the outside world, to a highly functioning, creative, adventurous, artistic young man who found his voice in the choir, performed in front of audiences, was a scholar athlete, graduated from CSULB with a Bachelor of Art degree in Studio Art with a focus in Animation with a GPA of 3.76, adventure seeker, landscape photographer,VFX artist, and Special Olympics Athlete who declares “Let me win, but if I cannot win, Let me be brave in the attempt.” I can only imagine what lies ahead, and there’s onlyway to find out.