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Check out Eric Shilling’s Artwork

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Shilling.

Eric, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been creative and thought “different” than your typical person; I think analytically, conceptually, and sometimes things take me longer to process and adapt to than others because I’m always thinking. Growing up in Meadville, Pennsylvania, a very small rural, farm & agricultural town, it was the perfect place for a young creative mind to develop and learn about life. Kindergarten through high school were some of the most pivotal points in my life; looking back, I remember taking just about every possible art/creative class possible, some of which include: ceramics, painting, drawing, CAD, music, sewing, cooking, broadcasting, & other various media classes. Aside from doing anything creative, I also played hockey, golf, baseball and to this day, still maintain a weekly workout routine.

I believe that no creative will ever see their full creative potential unless their physical body exemplifies that of a hard worker, only then will the mind allow you to explore the complex ideas of this world. Growing up for 18 years in a loving, supportive family, having some of the best friends in the world, my younger years revolved around enjoying life, staying active playing sports, and expressing myself creatively through the arts. After graduating high school, I made the craziest decision of my life by moving alone out into the desert of Arizona where I attended Arizona State.

After turning a new page and starting school at Arizona State University and attending its visual communication & design program, I soon discovered how intense being a creative was going to be. My first year of school in the design program was basically a creative bootcamp to hone in on skills in order to understand composition, and the basic design principles of life. The program and classes were very rigorous as we always had something to work on, it was honestly one of the best programs because it set us up for how busy the working creative actually would become. In the midst of that, I had such a dire interest in picking up more knowledge behind/around the lens of a camera so I picked up a minor in film & media productions. Those programs constantly pushed me to evolve and understand you have to have a strong work ethic in order to make it as a successful artist.

After graduating college, I soon fell into the typical Nine to five spiel that every post-grad will hear & most likely have to go through. In the midst of that job I started to lose my creativity, was becoming more and more depressed waking up at 5:45am to sit in traffic for a half hour to sit behind a desk all day, doing someone else’s work. It was one of those life-changing years, as clique as that sounds, because I didn’t enjoy my job, was losing my creativity, watched family pass away/age/battle cancer from thousands of miles away, all while being a broke, post-grad and I needed a way out.

After parting ways with that company and purchasing one of the best investments of my life (my camera) with the little amount I had saved up from that job, I soon found my creativity again – simple as that. For the last few years since, I kid you not when I say, I would wake up, throw on music, make food, hit the gym, (go to a shoot if I managed to pick one up) and then go home to create until the wee hours of the morning… that’s literally all I did. Every day I could, I would shoot whatever content came my way, picking up local gigs at music venues, recording studios, nightclubs, athletic events, gym shoots, and just about anything that was interesting & worth my time. After working on roughly 120 projects to-date over the course of a few years, my career as solo freelancer started to take shape – and that brings us to this interview.

Will I ever stop creating? No. Do I know where I want to go next or what I want to do? No, I never truly will, but if it fuels me to wake up in the morning, be around inspiring, healthy minded people, and be creative – I’ll be there.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Right now, I wouldn’t really say I truly specialize in anything – which sounds weird, but I love exploring all areas of creativity while I’m young and am able to do so. Typically, however, in the past few years I really enjoy doing logo design, photography, videography and hints of sound design here and there. As I’ve started to gain more recognition and understanding of who I am and what I want out of life, I really do enjoy being in the music and fitness industry because music and fitness are two main components of my life, I wouldn’t be able to live without. In a world where the average attention span is roughly eight seconds, I want someone to look at my work and feel compelled to do something unique and extraordinary with the time in their day, and to express their thoughts and feelings to others.

Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
The ability to fully express one’s emotions due to outside thoughts/opinions of others.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You can view/support my work online through my website, Instagram, YouTube or Facebook, or get in touch with me to come create and support my creative, freelance lifestyle 😊

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Scott Turner

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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