New Teacher Profile of the Week: Brian Schroeck

Courtesy of Luke Jenner

Conant’s new art teacher Brian Schroeck

The Crier is conducting interviews to get to know the new teachers at Conant. This week, the Crier is featuring art teacher Brian Schroeck.

Crier: What classes do you teach?

Schroeck: I currently teach Photography 1, Digital Media Arts 1, and Photography 3.

Crier: Why did you choose to be an art teacher?

Schroeck: Art was a way for me to express my thoughts and emotions without having to be verbal. It really helped me understand who I was as a teen, and it still helps me cope with everyday struggles in life. I went to art school, and one of my professors told me that I would be a good teacher. I had more fun helping create artists than creating art and making it as a living.

Crier: Do you do any activities outside of school? Do you sponsor or coach for an extracurricular at Conant? 

Schroeck: I make short movies outside of school. I currently sponsor the Digital Media Arts Club.

Crier: How did you get into movie making? 

Schroeck: I got into making movies because of a close friend of mine. He was my cooperating teacher when I student taught and is really into video work. He told me that I would be teaching video to his students that semester, so it meant that I had to quickly learn how to edit videos.  As the semester went on, he saw my passion for video as well as my photography work, and he asked if I wanted to help him film and edit a feature length film he was writing. It was an action comedy film that was a throwback to 90’s films. During post-production of that film, he asked if I would like to help him on his second film. This one was a found footage horror comedy movie that we filmed in nine days in Las Vegas and Lake Meade.  

Crier: Were any of your flims published? 

Schroeck: Both of those films have been picked up by a smaller distribution company and can be found on various streaming platforms as well as retail stores around the world.  As of right now, I’ve been in the process of writing my own feature length film as well as a short film that I plan to film later this year.

Crier: What advice would you give to students who want to pursue an art career? 

Schroeck: Any time a student asks if they should go into art as a career, my first question to them is, “What do you want to do with art for the rest of your life?” With art, like many things, people want to go from 0 to 100 instantly and forget to look at the whole picture. It takes time, patience, and a lot of dedication to make it as an artist.

Crier: If you weren’t a teacher, what would you be? 

Schroeck: I would be a stay at home dog dad or a professional photographer.

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