Meet Ben

Meet Ben. He’s a 20 year old artist who was diagnosed with autism at age 3. He has had an incredible journey, as all children with autism do. Art has always been part of his life and provided a much needed outlet to calm and express himself. This is continuing in his adult life and is now providing him an opportunity to have meaningful and fulfilling work for himself. Creating art has quickly become his passion.

Ben is located in the Pacific Northwest. He graduated with his high school diploma in the summer of 2020, and like many other recent grads, he was faced with adulthood and the next steps in life. Ben had the idea to take an art class to further his education and interests, but due to COVID, these options were extremely limited. With a few canceled courses, and a few art classes that “didn’t quite fit” his needs, Ben took action and started exploring different forms of art on his own terms. Through research, Ben came across acrylic pouring and decided to give it a try. With the help of family and friends, Ben gathered some basic supplies and gave acrylic pouring a go! The first painting looked amazing, and he immediately moved into his next custom piece. Through trial and error, Ben was able to perfect the consistency of his paint for pouring, discover his own techniques, and push the boundaries of color combinations. With each piece, Ben became more confident and bold, and in July 2021 Small Ego Art was born.

Over the past year, Ben and Small Ego Art have grown and expanded in ways never imaginable. Ben has done some amazing art pieces for people and organizations such as Jay Glazer, NFL on Fox, The Pat McAfee Show, Lumen Field sensory room, and many others. Ben is not only the artist behind these masterpieces, he is also lending his hand to website management, shipping/logistics, marketing, and basic business operations. It has been incredibly fulfilling to see the progress Ben and Small Ego Art have made over the past year.

In addition to the business, Ben has also become a role model for other individuals with autism wanting to follow their passions. It has been incredibly powerful for other folks with autism to see that you can turn your passions into a job, with the right drive and supports in place. Not only is Ben creating wonderful artwork, he is donating a portion of his sales to a charity that his Mom and Dad started in his name, Ben’s Fund.

Ben’s Fund was founded in 2012 by Seahawks General Manager/EVP John Schneider and wife Traci. The intent of Ben’s Fund, in partnership with Seattle Foundation, is to provide financial support and guidance to  children and young adults  in the state of Washington who have autism. Ben’s Fund provides funds to families in need to help cover costs associated with medical bills, therapies and numerous other aspects of supporting a child or young adult on the autism spectrum. Applicants request a yearly grant to help cover the costs to get the care, support and items they need to become all they can be. We are so thrilled to share that we have given away almost 3,000 grants since 2012! 

 Along with financial support, we have created a community of encouragement, hope, awareness and understanding.  Having autism in your family can be very lonely and isolating.  We want parents to know that they are not alone!  Sharing our story can help others and that is what Ben’s Fund is about.  Supporting each other.  We hope others find inspiration and hope from Ben and enjoy his creations.

Check out the video of his first acrylic pours here!