Amy Milner

Framed drawing in soft pastels of two people sitting on a flight of steps at the entrance to an apartment building. The walls either side are a reddish brick colour and the steps are grey. The man sits on the top step on the right hand side, playing a guitar. The woman sits on the left hand side, slightly further back from the audience. The colours are warm and there is a dreamy, unfocused quality.

In classic ADHD style, I explore many different mediums and struggle to choose a skill to focus on. I have always loved drawing, using pencils, pens, charcoal and soft pastels. I also enjoy painting and lino cutting, and dabble in poetry and photography! However, I have recently embraced that my greatest strength lies in bridging the gaps between mediums and styles, finding the connections between things and bringing different elements together. I discovered this in November last year when I collaborated with my good friend, Leo Hajducki, to curate and direct our exhibition, ‘Synaesthesia’, all about neurodivergent experience. This was an immersive, multisensory and multidisciplinary exhibition that incorporated the work of 16 ND artists.
While I try to escape my perfectionist tendencies in my own creative practice, I learned that this critical gaze actually comes in handy when organising an exhibition. I was able to apply my ruthless editor’s hand, my eye for detail, and my obsessive love of jigsaw puzzles to bring this complex project to completion. I also grew to appreciate my organisational skills, largely developed to cope with my neurodivergent brain.
Following this experience, I had the pleasure of working with Neuk to co-curate and produce Neuk Perspectives in July 2024. This only increased my enthusiasm for curating, and my passion for supporting other ND artists and creatives. I was also able to learn even more about the process of organising such a large scale event.
In my own practice, I am taking a concept-driven approach. Rather than trying to limit myself to a single medium, I am instead choosing a single theme/topic and allowing myself to explore this from many different angles. My current theme has inspired me to learn willow weaving and call my mother more often… This concept-centred approach also lends itself well to collaboration, and I am excited to be working with artists I admire who share my excitement in my chosen theme.
My creative goals are to continue to create connections and build community through art, particularly within the neurodivergent community. I would love to continue developing as a curator/producer, and above all I want to prioritise my own creative practice.