I can trace the beginnings of my careers as artist, writer, and educator to a steel blue Nissan Cube that I purchased in Okinawa, Japan.
My name is Erin Schalk, a creative mentor for emerging artists and founder of Bridging Art.
In my early twenties, my world shifted drastically in both wonderful and terrifying ways. I found myself married to the love of my life but also sent across the country, far from family and the home I had known. And each year, my husband was being sent away again and again -- oftentimes overseas.
Life would continue to catapult me far outside of my comfort zone, stretching me well beyond the tools that I had at my disposal. Art and restorative writing became two of my key coping strategies, providing generous places to process the full spectrum of emotions and fears. In time, I began to feel a magnetic pull toward teaching to share the benefits of a sustained, creative practice with others.
For the past decade, the core of my work involves: (1) persistent authenticity, (2) compassionate passion, and (3) accessibility & empowerment through creative practice.
I can trace the beginnings of my careers as artist, writer, and educator to a steel blue Nissan Cube that I purchased in 2010 in Okinawa, Japan. For three years, that car was my lifeline (and portable classroom)! Determined to continue this work despite the challenges at hand, I shuttled art and language learning supplies across the island, teaching students from ages 4 to 64.
I even found myself wrapping two 4 x 6 ft. paintings in padded blankets, strapping them to the roof of the Cube, and rumbling through the hilly backstreets to find exhibition sites, eventually landing opportunities at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum of Art.
Today, I am committed to working with emerging artists who also find themselves with a strong inner drive to create but who are also pushing against challenging situations. Perhaps it’s a lack of funding, time, or access to education to further your practice. Perhaps you’ve just finished a program and find yourself completely unmoored, not sure how to continue your work while navigating the demands of daily life.
Me in 2012, sitting on the hood of the Cube with a large painting strapped to the roof, wrapped in a powder blue blanket.
The photo was taken for posterity in the event that either the painting or myself careened off into a ditch. Thankfully, we both survived!
Even if these struggles have persisted for a long time, know that it’s never too late to begin again.
Media Bio:
Erin Schalk is a visual artist, writer, and educator who lives in the greater Los Angeles area. She graduated with her MFA in Studio from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2017, and she has exhibited her art throughout the United States, as well as in the United Kingdom and Japan. As of 2021, she was named The Muckenthaler Cultural Center’s Artist in Residence -- the third artist to receive this honor.
Both her poetry and visual art have been published in a variety of journals; highlights include The MacGuffin, The Woven Tale Press, Parentheses International Literary Journal, Willawaw Journal, and others. Today, Schalk also is a guest poetry and visual art reviewer and interviewer for Aji Magazine.
In 2011, Schalk’s career as an educator began overseas in Okinawa, Japan where she taught visual art and English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Since 2016, she has focused on teaching adults in non-profit and higher education settings, including accessibility-driven programs for individuals with visual impairments, as well as on the autism spectrum.
Schalk also holds a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Oklahoma, a BA in East Asian Studies from the University of Maryland Asia, and a Master of Arts in Art from the University of Dallas.
Little Known Facts…
Writing.
I first published my writing (a non-fiction piece about stopping the spread of rumors) in a national magazine at age 12.
Repetition.
I’ve been an avid knitter since 2005. My boyfriend’s mother (now mother-in-law) took me to my first class at a small town knitting & coffee shop called The Sow’s Ear.
Roots.
I’m originally a Midwesterner and grew up in in rural Iowa and Wisconsin. I also survived an F-4 tornado and a storm with softball-sized hail while living in Oklahoma (!!!)
Perception.
Since birth, I’ve had severe astigmatism in my right eye that cannot be corrected with surgery. It alters how I perceive space. When I took foundational drawing in college, my professor explained that everything I sketched slanted to the right (of course, that’s how things look to me)!