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August 26, 2026
Tessa MacKay can spend hundreds of hours on a single painting. Her photorealistic work can look almost indistinguishable from a photograph, but for Tessa, that precision became more than technique. It became a way to work with her ADHD, dyslexia, and the way her brain processes the world.
An Australian oil painter diagnosed with inattentive ADHD at 18, Tessa built a career around the kind of detail and focus that once helped her make sense of the world. But success also brought her face-to-face with the art world's complicated relationship with photorealism, forcing her to question how she thought, learned, and defended her own work.
In this episode, Tracy and Tessa talk about what happened when she decided to retrain her brain, why painting could feel easier than everyday life, and how her latest project, Social Realism, turns forgotten Facebook photos into art.
If you have ever wondered how someone can do something extraordinarily difficult while struggling with things that seem simple, this conversation goes there.
“I think I was drawn to photorealism because if I could make something real and clear enough, maybe people would understand what I was trying to communicate.”
-Tessa MacKay
“When something is deeply interesting to you, it is wild what your ADHD brain can overcome.”
-Tessa MacKay
“Photorealism gave me purpose, drive, and somewhere to attach my sense of self-worth. It is technically impressive and publicly accessible, but the art world often asks whether there is anything more behind it.”
-Tessa MacKay
"Social Realism came from asking what would happen if I used a slow, careful painting tradition on the worst, most throwaway photographs."
-Tessa MacKay
"My art practice exists because of my ADHD. It is almost impossible to separate the two. Everything I explore in my work traces back to the formative DNA of my ADHD."
-Tessa MacKay
"Art gives me permission to obsess over textures, details, and problems other people might not even notice."
-Tessa MacKay
"Being an artist is not just painting. It is producing, marketing, organizing, selling, and constantly finding ways to keep the practice alive.'’
-Tessa MacKay
- Tessa shares being identified with dyslexic tendencies in primary school and later diagnosed with inattentive ADHD at 18.
- She explains struggling with abstract reasoning, analog clocks, writing, social cues, and organizing her thoughts.
- Art, textiles, and theater become the places where her visual processing and creativity finally make sense.
[24:00 – 55:45] Photorealism, Criticism, and Cognitive Training
- Tessa explains photorealism, why precision appealed to her, and how painting became a refuge and coping mechanism.
- Winning the Packers Prize brings public affirmation but also exposes her to criticism of photorealism as “just” technical skill.
- She enters the Eaton Arrowsmith cognitive training program, which helps her with time, stress, conversations, and returning to university.
[55:45 – 01:17:59] Social Realism, Facebook Photos, and Hyperfocus
- Tessa describes Social Realism, her project painting awkward 2000s Facebook photos using classical oil techniques.
- She explains how each poor-quality photo requires its own process, texture, and problem-solving approach.
- Her main ADHD workaround is using cues like incense, records, or another person to push through the first 90 minutes and enter hyperfocus.
ADHD isn’t a productivity problem. It’s an identity problem.
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- Website: www.tessamackay.com
- Instagram: @tessamackayart
- LinkedIn: tessa-mackay
- Facebook: tessamackayart
- Arrowsmith Program: arrowsmith.ca
- Trailblazers by Howard Eaton - thetrailblazersbook.com/
- The Woman Who Changed Her Brain by Barbara Arrowsmith-Young - Woman-Who-Changed-Brain-Transformation
