Ella Willis has built a distinctive career by turning lived experience into creative work that feels warm, useful and direct. Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, they are an author, illustrator, content creator and speaker whose work centres on autism, ADHD, queer identity and everyday life. Their audience knows them for humour, expressive artwork and open discussions about being neurodivergent in a world that often expects people to fit one pattern. By 2026, that work had expanded from social media into books, community projects, public speaking, brand partnerships and national recognition.
Who Is Ella Willis?
Born in March 2000, Ella Willis is 26 years old as of September 2026 and is British by nationality. They use they/them pronouns and have described themselves as non-binary, queer, autistic and ADHD, making lived experience central to their creative voice. Newcastle is more than a work base, as their posts, local projects and community involvement show a deep bond with the city and the wider North East. That regional identity shapes their humour, language and outlook, giving their work a personal character that feels firmly rooted in place.
Ella Willis Age, Birth and Newcastle Background
Ella Willis was born in March 2000 and has described growing up in a working-class North East household. Their social content often draws on Newcastle culture, local speech and familiar places, including playful discussions of North East slang and everyday regional habits. They have called Newcastle Pride their local Pride, reflecting a close relationship with the city’s LGBTQ+ community and cultural life. This connection matters because Newcastle is not simply where they work; it is a major part of the identity behind their creative and community projects.
Education and Early Direction
From September 2018 to June 2021, Ella Willis studied English Literature at Newcastle University and completed a bachelor’s degree. University life gave them room to develop interests in writing, performance and communication while also taking on leadership responsibilities outside their course. Between May 2020 and May 2021, they served as president of Newcastle University Theatre Society, combining organisation, teamwork and involvement in the arts. Their later path in writing, illustration and public speaking fits naturally with this mix of literary study, theatre experience and creative leadership.
Ella Willis Career and Professional Growth
Before digital work became the centre of their career, Willis gained experience through several public-facing and community roles. They worked as a Team Leader with the National Citizen Service Trust from July 2019 to August 2021, building practical leadership and youth-work skills. They later worked part-time as a Box Office Assistant at Northern Stage Newcastle from August 2021 until March 2025, maintaining a link with the city’s theatre scene. These roles helped strengthen the communication and people skills that now support their work as a creator, speaker and community figure.
Willis became a self-employed content creator in February 2021, turning personal experiences into videos, posts and visual stories. Their content covers autism, ADHD, LGBTQIA+ life, mental wellbeing, fashion and the ordinary highs and lows of adulthood. They connect neurodivergence with relationships, work, sensory needs, identity, humour and routine rather than treating it as one narrow subject. That personal approach helped them build a large online community, including more than 160,000 followers on their verified Instagram account by September 2026.
Brand Work and Public Speaking
Their professional reach extends far beyond personal posts, with collaborations involving major brands and organisations. Willis has worked with names such as Superdrug, Dreamies, Instagram, Meta, the BBC and Channel 4, alongside other clients and creative partners. Their work has also developed into consultancy, speaking engagements and panel appearances connected to queer life, disability and neurodiversity. This range shows how a social platform can grow into a wider creative business when a creator develops a clear voice and trusted expertise.
Ella Willis as an Illustrator
Illustration has been central to Willis’s career since they began freelance work in September 2020. Their visual work is closely tied to accessibility and representation, using friendly imagery to make difficult ideas feel easier to approach. Their commissions include ODEON, LNER and Durham University, while a 2026 Netflix project placed their Heartbreak High artwork on a busy Sydney street. They have used art within workshops and community events too, connecting creativity with inclusion, confidence and social connection.
The Autistic Guide to Adventure
A major early publishing credit came through The Autistic Guide to Adventure, written by Allie Mason and illustrated by Willis. Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers in 2023, the book helps autistic young people approach sport, outdoor activities and new experiences with more confidence. Willis used a wide range of characters, including gender-ambiguous figures and disabled representation beyond autism, while keeping the artwork welcoming and lively. The project showed an early version of the approach that later shaped their own book: practical support made more accessible through lived experience and illustration.
Ella Willis and Literally
The biggest milestone in Willis’s writing career arrived on 4 June 2026 with the publication of their debut book, Literally. Published by Bluebird, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, the 288-page book offers a joyful and practical guide to the ups and downs of autistic life. It covers diagnosis, masking, stimming, sensory issues, routines, relationships, special interests and the emotional weight of trying to meet social expectations. Personal stories, evidence, interviews and original illustrations give the book an intimate voice while keeping its advice clear and useful.
Autism Diagnosis and the Purpose of Literally
Ella Willis was formally diagnosed with autism at 22, and that experience became an important part of the book’s foundation. The diagnosis gave a clearer framework for experiences such as overstimulation, social difficulty and intense interests that had shaped earlier parts of their life. Rather than presenting autism only through struggle, Literally also makes space for autistic joy, self-knowledge, humour and the relief that can come from understanding personal needs. That balance gives the book an optimistic tone without pretending that neurodivergent life is always easy.
Advocacy, Queer Identity and Canny Queer Collective
Community work forms another major part of Willis’s career, especially through Canny Queer Collective in Newcastle upon Tyne. They helped found the collective in 2021 to create safer, welcoming and empowering spaces for queer people in the city. The project has brought people together through social events and creative activities, while Willis has also combined illustration with neurodiversity-focused community work. Their involvement shows that advocacy is not limited to online commentary, but also includes practical work designed to strengthen belonging and connection.
Ella Willis and LGBTQ+ Representation
Ella Willis has spoken openly about discovering their queer identity and the importance of seeing LGBTQ+ people represented with honesty. Their work often connects queerness with autism and ADHD, recognising that one person can live across several identities at the same time. They have taken part in inclusive campaigns and conversations, including Instagram’s Gen Queer work, while continuing to discuss authenticity with their own audience. Their presence at Newcastle Pride and wider queer events reinforces their place within the North East’s creative and LGBTQ+ community.
Awards and National Recognition
Ella Willis gained formal recognition when they were included in the Diversity Power List 2024/25 for work linked to inclusion, neurodiversity and LGBTQIA+ issues. In 2025, they were also named in the final group for Health & Wellbeing bCreator of the Year, joining established digital creators in the field. These honours reflect a career that has grown from personal storytelling into a recognised form of public advocacy, illustration and creative leadership. They also show that Willis’s influence reaches beyond follower numbers and into wider conversations about access, identity and social change.
Their reach continued to grow in 2026 as Literally moved them further into publishing and literary events. They joined the Cheltenham Literature Festival’s VOICEBOX programme with Heartstopper actor and autism advocate Bradley Riches and creator Demi Colleen for a discussion on autistic experience. The appearance placed Willis within a national cultural conversation about neurodiversity and the value of lived experience in public discussion. For a debut author, moving from online platforms to a major literary festival marks an important new stage in a varied creative career.
Business Roles and Independent Work
Ella Willis has also taken on formal business responsibilities alongside their creative career. They are a director of Canny Queer Collective CIC, linking their community involvement with an established organisational role in Newcastle. They also hold a director role with Hiya Hinny Ltd from October 2024, reflecting the more structured business side of work across media and creative services. Together with freelance illustration and self-employed content creation, these roles show a career that now combines creativity, business, community work and publishing.
Ella Willis in 2026 and Beyond
By September 2026, Ella Willis had moved firmly into a new phase as an author while continuing their established work as an illustrator and creator. Their career already spans publishing, illustration, youth leadership, theatre-related employment, community organisation, brand work, consultancy, speaking and national recognition. Those paths now come together in a modern creative career built on lived experience, artistic ability and a strong sense of social purpose. With Literally published and a wider cultural platform taking shape, Willis has a solid foundation for continued influence across publishing, illustration and inclusive media across Britain and beyond in future.
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