Equal Time: @CLTChalkArt’s Crowning Achievement

By Tim Miner

Five minutes may not seem like a lot of time … but, if you’re devoted to your craft … it’s all you need to create something incredible.

To help save their patients time, our partners at OrthoCarolina have launched an online scheduling system that helps you schedule your next appointment in five minutes flat. That got them wondering about what Charlotte creatives could do in that amount of time. And, we jumped in to find out.

Over the past two months, we’ve challenged creatives across the Queen City to make something amazing and they have stepped up and blown our minds. See the first five here.

Today, our friend Michelle Walsh, who goes by the moniker @CLTChalkArt, gives our Queen City a gorgeous crown using a sidewalk and a fistful of sidewalk chalk. She did make the framework in advance, but was able to create all the coloring and shading in just five minutes, sped up here for your enjoyment.

Watch @CLTChalkArt’s Five Minute Creation

Creative Passion Born of COVID-19

Walsh moved to Charlotte with her family 11 years ago. Pursuing her creative passions wasn’t front and center in her life there, but it was in her DNA. Walsh’s mother is a watercolor artist and photographer and they loved to spend time together outside when Walsh was growing up.

Photo Credit: Brooke Brown

That interest in art and longing to be outdoors came to a head during the pandemic.

“After the first week of COVID, I was already going a little stir crazy,” said Walsh. “I found sidewalk chalk and started playing with it.

Lifting Spirits with Colorful Quotes

Walsh started simply, leaving anonymous messages on her community’s sidewalks to lift her neighbor’s spirits.

“My initial plan was writing inspirational quotes around our neighborhood as a way to spread some cheer during an otherwise dismal time,” said Walsh. “It definitely evolved into more intentional messaging as months passed.”

Walsh’s work wouldn’t remain a neighborhood secret for long after she started posting her sidewalk chalk creations on social media.

Soon, she found herself in demand, making friends with local artists and collaborating with creatives to create sidewalk art that complements new murals to painting trash cans in NoDa.

“I’ve met neighbors I hadn’t met, connected with an amazing art community in CLT and online, gotten paid work and am continuing to learn new ways to be creative every day.”

Where does Walsh go from here? She’s sure of only one thing … Charlotte has miles and miles of sidewalks. And, that means endless possibilities.