Check Out Milly Edwards’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Milly Edwards.

Hi Milly, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Macon, Georgia, a city steeped in music history and really charming in its own way. Though I didn’t used to appreciate it, like I can now with some perspective. I’m the middle of three children, which I like to joke has made me pretty well-adjusted. Art has always been part of my story, and I’ve always been drawn to things that vibrate at a higher frequency. Art & creativity are woven through my life; it’s really the thread tying everything together. My mom is an artist, so I probably had a paintbrush in hand as a toddler, though you’d have to ask her to confirm.

When I was fifteen, I took a photography class in high school that captivated me. I loved the process of developing film and being in the darkroom. The anticipation of watching an image slowly emerge was magical. Photography taught me a lot about how to see: how light, shadow, and composition can tell a story. That foundation still shapes the way I approach my paintings today.

In those same high school years, I explored studio art and was lucky enough to benefit from the freedom of being able to experiment and guide my own processes through an independent study class. When I went to college, I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I tried a little bit of everything before landing on marketing, eventually earning my BBA in Marketing from Georgia College in 2025.

After graduation, I moved back to Macon for a short time and worked as a graphic designer. I also dabbled a bit in makeup artistry, enthralled by the beauty YouTubers of the mid-2010s. I moved to Atlanta to join an ad agency in 2016 and have stayed in advertising since.

During the pandemic, I found myself craving a creative connection, so I picked up the old watercolors my mom gave me and started painting a picture of my dog and my sisters’ dogs. I tried my hand at abstract art and was frustrated by it at first. I kept going and eventually gathered enough courage to share my work publicly on Instagram. My friends and family cheered me on a ton; their support was the wind beneath my wings at that time and really still is!

In 2023, I wanted to share my art somewhere in person, so I joined a friend at Scott Antique Markets. We shared a booth in the beginning, but we both grew to have our own, and almost three years later, I’m still there. The Scott’s community has become such a meaningful part of my journey, filled with vibrant and talented people from all walks of life. It’s hard work to set your booth up and requires a lot of mental and physical planning and prep, so each month when I find myself wrapped up in the stress of getting there, I remind myself how much I enjoy being with my friends there, and they truly make it so much fun.

I’ve had the opportunity in the last few years to show my work at local Atlanta shows, expanding my network and presence as an emerging artist. My mission is really simple: to share the joy of art. The best compliment I can receive is when someone says my work makes them happy. It’s so fulfilling to know something I made sparked a smile or a little moment of joy.

Today, I balance my full-time career in advertising with my art business, and while it can be incredibly challenging at times to get everything done, I really am lucky to have a supportive team at work that encourages me. I balance my time well, working 9-5ish and then often doing my painting from 5ish to bedtime and on weekends.

When I’m not working or painting, I love being with my friends and my corgi, Hamilton. You can often find me listening to a good true crime podcast or watching the latest Netflix documentary. Atlanta is home to me – a city rich with art, culture, music, and connection. Its creative pulse can be felt in every neighborhood, and I can’t imagine calling anywhere else home.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest influences on how I work and see the world is something that took years to understand, and still find myself trying to understand! I’ve struggled with ADHD my whole life, and was never really taught what it is and how it contributed to my daily struggles of feeling misunderstood or like I just didn’t think or work the same as others. In recent years, I discovered that my mind just works differently and that difference is one of my super powers. My curiosity pushes me to try new things, to learn quickly, to make connections others might not.

It comes with daily challenges, though. I tend to work best under pressure – I need that adrenaline to get moving – but that also means I can fall into cycles of procrastination and burnout. This causes me to feel a lot of guilt and shame for overcommitting and coming up short or missing deadlines. Over time, I’ve realized that creativity can’t always be forced to fit neatly into a schedule and that it has its own rhythm.

Making room for rest and exploration is just as essential as the act of painting itself. Some of the best advice I’ve ever been given is to create time and space for doing nothing. And that doesn’t always mean doing literally nothing, but doing things that fill your soul like being in nature, going to a concert, visiting a museum, traveling, or just soaking in the world around you. But sometimes, it also means doing nothing.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an abstract artist primarily working with acrylic on paper or canvas, often layering in oil pastel, pencil, and other mixed media. I love experimenting with new tools, textures, and mediums.

My work is often inspired by nature, color, and the small joys of everyday life. I’m drawn to bright, joyful, and unique palettes that feel alive and even a little unpredictable.

I paint to keep the energy moving, whether it’s good or bad energy, I feel it’s important to allow it to move out of you. Not every piece has to carry some deep meaning or emotional backstory. When I’m exploring a new process, I try not to control the outcome too much; I just let things unfold naturally. My mission really is simple: I don’t ever want abstract art to feel pretentious or out of reach. You don’t always have to “get it” to enjoy it. If my work evokes a feeling, sparks a thought, or simply makes you pause for a moment, that’s wonderful. And if it doesn’t, I hope you can still appreciate it for what it is: color, texture, movement, and joy.

I’m so proud of the community and find myself craving more community these days. From friends and family who encouraged me to share in the beginning to the incredible people I’ve met through Scott’s and other local shows, that support and connection mean everything to me. Building life around creativity, especially while balancing a full-time job, hasn’t been easy, but it’s taught me so much about being resilient, being curious, and trusting the process.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron – an essential read for any creative and artist! Gifted to me by a dear friend and artist, Jennifer Balser, who I constantly go to for advice and lends me a fresh perspective. This book really helps me when I get into a slump or just need to breakthrough in a new way.

The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin. I flipped through the pages of this book one day in Barnes & Noble and found a page I really needed to see when I was experience some feelings of self doubt and that I wasn’t creative enough. It read “Living life as an artist is a practice.
You are either engaging in the practice or you’re not.
It makes no sense to say you’re not good at it.
It’s like saying, “I’m not good at being a monk.” You are either living as a monk or you’re not.
We tend to think of the artist’s work as the output.
The real work of the artist is a way of being in the world.” It was like duh, to be an artist you simply have to be one! You don’t have to have decades of practice and success before you can call yourself a creative. Since then, I often come back to it when I need to be grounded back into the creative process.

I love supporting other artists who share their teachings and skills through Patreon! I have long admired Ken Goshen, an artist out of New York with a background in classical painting and printmaking. Through Patreon, I have been able to take his lessons an learn some techniques about painting that I find extremely useful.

Another app that helps me a ton with content creation is Smartist. It allows you to mock up your art in beautiful spaces – it was essential to me when I was just starting out and didn’t have many options with where I could hang and photograph my art.

Not art or creative based, but I actually listen to podcasts most of the time when I paint. Because I have a morbid curiosity, I often listen to Crime Junkie or Morbid, but a recent favorite for just good vibes and laughs is Ride with Benito Skinner and Mary Beth Barone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.millyedwardsart.com
• Instagram: @millyedwardsart
• Facebook: @millyedwardsart