>>1015640
I make them connected. My usual approach is to make them separate, then connect them to the hole where the ear goes.
Here's a quick freehand blockout I just did. Needs tweaking for shape depending on what you want, but the topology should be somewhat workable. I don't make this exact topology every time, I just freehand it every time. My understanding is that you have an outer ring that spirals from the inner middle to the outer bottom, and a Y shaped bump inside the ear. Then you have a hole under the spiral's inner start, and a bump under the hole. There's also a "cup" behind the ear where it connects to the head.
Well, this is just my take on ears at least. I never studied them too hard to be honest, so I could be a bit wrong. My points are that you should make them separate and connect them later, and that you should just open up some reference and try to freehand the shape. It's "art", after all. You could just skip all this and simplify them to your heart's content, or just texture them instead.