What is to eat, sleep, and live when you approach the world through its colours, shapes, and the actions of human experience? The dyslexic mindset is not what you think—and thinking outside the box might just help you, and the people around you, adapt to changing times.

Andrew Reeves is the founder of the architecture firm Linebox Studio. He learned he was dyslexic at 42—and as an architect, it has empowered him to adapt and see things differently. Coffee and life get Andrew up in the morning.

Life is good. Every day is something crazy and new, coming with challenges that make him want to get to work.

Linebox Studio is Andrew’s “baby.” He started the firm in 2007 after spending over a decade working at large architecture firms in Toronto and Ottawa. Architecture is his life’s work—but when Andrew isn’t ‘architecting’, he plays hockey, golfs, mountain-bikes, and hangs out with his family.

He’s an opinionated person, and his office ‘rants’ (about anything from the detailing on buildings to why stadiums should always be downtown) could rival traditional power sources. His favourite architects are Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, and Frank Lloyd Wright—and his favourite building is Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

He also has a knack for recognizing strong talent, which has helped him build the Linebox super team.

After a long day, he looks forward to coming home to his awesome wife and two kids…how can he complain? This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx