The first decade of his professional career was spent working in Coles Myer's commerce team before his creative tendencies overcame him.

"I travelled overseas in my late twenties and when I came home, I had an early midlife crisis.

"I returned home and wasn't sure of where to go, so I went where it was easy, and that was back to Coles Myer," Mr Wilson.

But it became apparent that something wasn't right.

"I was suffering from insomnia and would be up all night drawing and teaching myself how to build websites and playing around with digital imagery," Mr Wilson said.

However, the time Mr Wilson spent being creative was becoming detrimental to his health.

"I remember one night, very late at night, thinking I'm not happy with my work, it's not fulfilling me.

"My partner at the time said look around the house, you've got notebooks full of drawings everywhere and every night when you have a spare moment, you're being creative, so maybe you need to pursue that," he said.

It was just days later that Mr Wilson prepared a portfolio and applied to study at Bachelor of Fine Art at Monash University.

He was successful in gaining entry and after years of study, completed a PhD in sculpture and art installation practice.

Space is an important consideration for a sculptor and when Mr Wilson was seeking more space, a move to the regions was logical.

"The plan was to finish off my PhD and then get a job and go back to the city.

Now based in Kyneton, Mr Wilson is passionate about arts opportunities in central Victoria and growing the local arts scene.

"Lots of creative practice outside the city doesn't get the same publicity as it does in the city.

"Celebrating what is happening in regional areas and drawing out resources to develop that is important to me," Mr Wilson said.

Mr Wilson has been the senior curator at the La Trobe Arts Institute for three years, but brought with him years of experience to the role, albeit not in art.

"Analysis, project management and organisation are the lynchpins of my role.

"Those skills can come together from someone of a mathematical and commerce background and be translated into a creative background because the foundational tenets are the same," he said.

Realising there was a system in place whereby his colleagues at art school hoped to get discovered, Mr Wilson instead approached the discovery process proactively.

"I didn't think other people should be waiting around to be discovered and I didn't want to wait.

"I took it upon myself to organise things on my own, find spaces, talked to people about accessing space and arranged opportunities to present work," he said.

The self-taught curator seized the opportunity to become the La Trobe Art Institute's senior curator because it is part of a learning institution and across the road from the Bendigo Art Gallery.

"I was taught a lot by former Bendigo Art Gallery director Karen Quinlan about the place of art and culture in the identity of an area.

"Not from an arts background, the success of the Bendigo Art Gallery demonstrates that within communities of people, there is a fascination in creative processes," Mr Wilson said.

The transition phase from one exhibition to another is the most exciting part of the curatorial process, according to Mr Wilson, who this week was arranging works for two upcoming exhibitions.

"When you get to unwrap artwork in the space and consider how it is going to occupy the room, that is magical.

"I try to be an avatar for every other human that is going to walk through the space," Mr Wilson said.