Throughout the month of April, we’ve partnered with Exceptional Minds, a nonprofit academy and post production studio for people with autism. For nearly a decade, Exceptional Mind’s programming has enabled artists with autism to launch careers in animation and the digital arts. With up to 85% of adults with autism facing unemployment, the Exceptional Minds community of teachers, mentors, and students is working towards a goal we share here at Creatively — creating a future where neurodiverse perspectives advance an inclusive hiring culture in the entertainment industry. 

Working with industry leaders in animation like Netflix, Marvel, and Nickelodeon, Exceptional Mind’s students hone their craft while preparing for careers in animation and digital effects. Today, we asked 5 students in the program, Brian Urquhart, Kyle Payne, Jordan Farrell, Katherine McSpadden and Eli Gross to answer our Creatively Q&A. Describing themselves as everything from “adaptable to “curious,” the students’ perspectives are just as diverse as their bodies of animation and design work. 

Meet some of the Exceptional Mind’s students. 

What is the first creative project you remember?

My first project I can recall was making a LEGO stop motion animated short for my old church called “Joseph Smith and The Golden Plates.” I was about 10 or 11 years old when I made that, I learned the basics of editing, title formatting and got my first taste of animating to a longer extent back then. Now the quality in about everything in it was laughably terrible but if it wasn’t for that short. I wouldn’t have had the drive to make films and dream of working in the animation industry to which my recent work I have done now FAR exceeds the skills I had back then and I’ll continue to push my skills further and further into the stars.

—Jordan Farrell

What was the most fulfilling design or animation you’ve worked on and why?

The installation piece I made with my brother for the music festival Electric Forest. It was our first installation art piece and it was so fun to see people pose in front of them and share with them online. They became very popular on social media sites like Instagram. 

—Katherine McSpadden

One hundred years from now, what do you hope people write about your work? 

In a hundred years, I would like it if people would use my works to be the building blocks of their stories. Improving on my unique ideas and making up for my flaws to make even more memorable stories.Then their stories can also be the building blocks of future stories.

—Brian Urquhart

What’s one creative project that taught you something about yourself?

Something that I have learned on more than one occasion is that sometimes when you make some amount of progress due to a crash, an unsuccessful save or what have you, starting again can turn out even better than the first time.

—Kyle Payne 

What is your superpower? 

My superpower is being good around animals. It may not seem all that related to animation, but it has given me an edge when coming up with designs, knowing many types of anatomy as well as character movement. 

—Eli Gross 

You can check out more work from the Exceptional Minds students here.