When Kyle Wright (’15) was diagnosed with autism at the age of 32, he needed to find a way to harness his deep-seated desire for order and routine.

He turned to the Rubik’s Cube.

Thousands of Rubik’s Cubes later, he’s now known as Kyle Cubes online, where nearly 30,000 YouTube subscribers watch him use those cubes to create works of art.

“For me, creating Rubik's Cube art has been far more than just making pictures — it has genuinely changed my life,” Wright says. “Building mosaics gives my mind a place to slow down and focus. The repetitive patterns, structure and problem-solving are incredibly calming, and creating art has become one of the healthiest ways I process stress and avoid burnout.”

Designing a New Mindset

When the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down, Wright, who works a full-time job as a network security engineer for a large tech firm in the Dallas area, struggled to deal with the disruption to his routine, such as not being able to work in the office.

His wife encouraged him to seek out a formal autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. Wright’s parents had sought a diagnosis for him when he was a teenager, but he says he had gotten too good at masking his behaviors by that age, and not enough was known about high-functioning autism at that point.

“Through working with my therapist, she determined that I needed some sort of outlet to help with my autism because I was really struggling with it,” Wright says. “I bought my first 100 cubes and just started making art and fell in love with it.”

Wright got into speed cube solving for a short time after high school. His fastest time to solve a Rubik’s Cube was 11 seconds, but he had to put that hobby aside to focus on college — where he majored in business computer information systems.

These days, Wright solves for serenity instead of speed. After discovering Rubik’s Cube artwork on TikTok, he finds zen in the process of choosing a design, creating a pixel art pattern in Photoshop and then configuring hundreds of Rubik’s Cubes to replicate that pattern.

In addition to streaming his artistic process on his YouTube channel, Wright and his wife have also turned it into a successful side business. His website features 35 unique designs ranging from original mosaics to animals to popular video game and anime characters. Each design can be purchased as a sticker, paper print, canvas print or an original piece hand-built from hundreds of Rubik’s Cubes. He also sells his work at anime and comic conventions.

Although his degree was focused on the I.T. side of things, Wright says some of his courses in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business came in handy when setting up his small business.

“Marketing and accounting and finance have been helpful for being able to market myself and then also being able to do bookkeeping,” Wright says. “UNT has definitely helped me a lot with my understanding of how a business operates.”

Helping Others

Wright sees his Rubik’s Cube art as much more than just a hobby or a side hustle, though. It’s also a way to give back, help others and spread an important message.

He uses 5% of all profits to donate Rubik’s Cubes to Operation Christmas Child, a Samaritan’s Purse initiative that sends gift-filled shoeboxes to children in need around the world.

Wright also shares resources on his website to help visitors learn how to solve a Rubik’s Cube and step-by-step instructions for creating Rubik’s Cube art. The practice has been so transformative for Wright that he wants to do whatever he can to make it available to anybody who could benefit from it as a therapeutic tool.

Wright also uses his art to promote his Know That You Are Loved movement. After suffering through bullying in high school and subsequent depression, Wright went through periods where he didn’t feel loved and felt like nobody cared. He describes it as the “worst feeling in the world” and hopes to prevent others from feeling that way with his message of kindness, compassion and connection.

“What started as a therapeutic activity has grown into a way to connect with others. Through my artwork, I hope people — especially those who feel different or misunderstood — see that there is beauty in thinking differently. Every piece I create is a reminder that our differences aren't flaws; they're what make us unique. If my art helps even one person feel seen, accepted or loved, then I've accomplished far more than simply creating an image.”