Meet Angelina Salgado

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Angelina Salgado. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Angelina, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

I have struggled with mental illness for most of my life, probably since my teenage years (I thought I was just being an emo kid!), although I didn’t start seeing a therapist for my anxiety and depression until my mid-30s. I only began taking antidepressants when I going through infertility treatment and, as a result, my mental health was rapidly declining to the point that I would be triggered by the sight of a pregnant person. Then, two months after giving birth to twins in the middle of the pandemic, I woke up to one of my babies, Aurora Annette, looking pale and her body unresponsive. The grief and trauma from Aurora’s unexpected and heartbreaking death (ruled by the medical examiner as Sudden Unexplained Infant Death) completely exacerbated my anxiety and depression, and destroyed my sense of self. I was so lost in my emotions, in my grief. I was a bereaved mother, and at the same time, a new mom to Aurora’s surviving twin sister. As a lifelong artist, I turned to my art as the outlet for my grief and depression.

My depression and anxiety has only intensified since losing Aurora. Mental illness continues to be an “invisible” illness in society (so much that I recognize an irrational fear I have: that no one believes me when I tell them I struggle with depression). My artwork has become a safe haven for me to process and explore my feelings, as well as becoming an entry point for people to address anxiety, depression, grief, infertility, pregnancy and baby loss, in a less confrontational and uncomfortable manner. These issues affect millions of people around the world, yet carry such heavy cultural and social stigmas that no one wants to talk about it even though almost everyone is affected by it (‘it’ being any issue that focuses on emotions, feelings, fertility, and loss, aka all the messy stuff). If my story can help even one person struggling with any of the above to feel less alone, then it validates my trauma and gives it a bigger meaning.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

My name is Angelina Salgado and I am an artist and art educator. I’ve been an artist my entire life. I took all of the art classes that my high school offered that I could fit into my schedule, including Advanced Placement (AP) Studio Art and AP Art History. I have my AAS in Fine Arts from the Fashion Institute of Technology and my BA from Hunter College, where I double majored in Studio Art and Art History, and graduated with departmental honors from Hunter’s Art Department.

I went on to earn my MA in Art Education, with a concentration in Museum Education from the City College of New York. During my last semester at CCNY, I worked my first museum internship in the Education Department at the Museum of Arts and Design, followed by an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (my dream!), after which I started working as a freelance (contractual) educator at various museums and art organizations across New York City.

For over 3 years, I was riding the buses and subways up and down Manhattan (and sometimes into Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx) and commuting to my different jobs in these world-renowned cultural institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the New-York Historical Society, Museum of the City of New York, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. I thrived being able to take my passion of making art and integrate it with my love of art history.

I took my eclectic experience in museum education and brought it to the elementary art classroom. I got my very first art teacher job working in the elementary charter school of the acclaimed Harlem Children’s Zone. This was a truly formative experience for me because, in addition to teaching my students art lessons focused on contemporary artists, I also had several opportunities to take them on field trips to art museums in Manhattan, including the Metropolitan Museum (more specifically, the Met Breuer, which housed the Met’s contemporary art collection temporarily in the recently unoccupied space of the Whitney Museum after it moved downtown to the Meatpacking District). Even looking back now, I realize how fortunate I was to be able to introduce artists to my students and then literally take a bus downtown and see that artist’s work in person. This mentality guided me to my next art teaching position.

After moving to Northwestern New Jersey, I started in a leave replacement position that was split between two public elementary schools. I taught over 500 students every week and had to travel between the two elementary schools, which also meant managing two separate art classrooms, storage closets, and inventories of art materials. Although it seemed like a logistical nightmare, I soon got really good at organizing art materials and instructional spaces. I had the opportunity to build on the art lessons in my art teacher portfolio, and hone my craft in designing and creating art projects that are engaging and allow for individuality and choice for the students (and also that I will enjoy teaching).

At the same time that I was teaching elementary art, I was also undergoing treatment for primary infertility (which we didn’t know about until I needed a laparoscopic surgery because of large cysts that had grown on my ovaries, diagnosed as Stage 3 Endometriosis). I endured a cycle of In-Vitro Fertilization, which wreaked havoc on my already fragile mental health. I saw my therapist weekly to help manage my anxiety and depression. IVF produced one, single healthy, viable embryo (we had zero in storage). Our unicorn embryo split and suddenly I was pregnant with identical twin girls (my dream!). My twin pregnancy was high risk and full of complications, such as preeclampsia and cholestasis of pregnancy, which led to an emergency c-section 7 weeks early.

Because my babies were born premature, they stayed in the NICU for 1 month. After being home for a month, Aurora Annette didn’t wake up and never would again. Her death was ruled as Sudden Unexplained Infant Death. I poured all of my grief and emotions and heartbreak into my artwork. I was transforming the pain carried from having lost my baby so unexpectedly into colorful, vibrant paintings of the Aurora Borealis.

The weekend of my daughters’ 2nd birthday was also the first time my artwork was exhibited in an art show in Manhattan, at One Space Gallery in TriBeCa, to be exact. My artist origin story starts at the fateful summer exhibition from July 2022: The All Star Show by Start Shows. I came to the realization that if I am forced to live with only one of my twin daughters with me in this life, then it will be the best possible life I could imagine: as a world famous artist who exhibits and sells her artwork in international art galleries and museums (which allows me to travel with my spouse and daughter on trips around the world, which probably would have been impossible if we were living a different reality).

I continued to exhibit in several subsequent shows with Start Shows, which gave me a lot of experience with sharing my story and talking about my art to people (which doesn’t actually come naturally to me, however, once I embrace my awkwardness, it helps me to feel a little more comfortable). I also met some incredible humans and amazing artists with whom I had the pleasure to show my art alongside theirs. I am so very grateful to call many of these artists my friends. (Shout out to my art fam!)

I made my art fair debut at Superfine NYC in September 2023 (the weekend before Aurora’s 3rd death anniversary) and the experience completely validated all that I had been working towards and manifesting. I realized that I am fully capable of living out my dreams of being a professional artist!

The following April in 2024, I had another dream come true and that was to exhibit my artwork at Art Expo New York, which I did alongside the Hudson River Art Collective (of which I’m a founding member! Check us out on Artsy!) Literally, the day after Art Expo ended, I was starting my new job returning to teaching elementary art.

The crazy thing is that I thought that I had experienced too much trauma and grief to ever go back to teaching elementary art. However, having talked to hundreds of people at this point about my artwork and sharing the story behind my art, I have discovered this confidence and strength that I didn’t know I had before. When I started at my home school this past September, it was very challenging… but it also felt so right. As though, I’m finally doing what I was always meant to do: exhibit (and sell!) the artwork I create as a professional artist, while at the same time, teaching elementary students and be living proff that it’s possible to make your dreams a reality… all while we make dope art together.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I think most important, especially for artists and creatives, is to keep creating. I started to view my process in creating lessons as an extension of my artistic practice. However, it’s been over 3 years since I’ve taught, so it’s basically like I’m starting from scratch. And I’ve put so much of my time and energy into my designing these art projects that I’ve left little time for my own art. However, I’ve also discovered that if I’m ever stuck with lesson planning or writing an article, I switch over to painting as a way to get mentally unstuck. I find it’s beneficial to give my brain the mental space to process and work out whatever it is I’m feeling or ideas that I’m stuck on or don’t know how to express.

Related to that is honing your skills and doing the research. Find the people who are doing what you want to be doing and follow their social medias. Read the articles and listen to the podcasts, and immerse yourself in what you want to learn. If what you’re trying to achieve is more skills-based, then keep practicing and working at it until it becomes second nature.

Lastly, I would recommend is to be kind to people and treat people how you want to be treated. Here’s a secret you don’t learn at job fairs: networking with people is basically the professional version of making friends with people. I’m grateful for the multitude of opportunities that have come from connecting with the people and artists with whom I’ve exhibited my artwork: from interviews (such as this!) to exhibition opportunities and upcoming art shows and events. People will want to help you if you are nice to them, this sounds simple, but it’s true. Find your people and your community. See opportunities for collaboration and not as competition.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

In the months following Superfine NYC in September 2023, I started listening to audiobooks while I was painting. One of those books was “Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead” by Brene Brown. She talks a lot about shame, vulnerability, and courage. This book helped me to own my past experiences with infertility and infant loss and integrate my grief and trauma with my identity as an artist. Her writing was impactful for me, so much so that I have several pages in my journal with quotes from this book.

Here are a few that most resonated with me:

“We either own our stories (even the messy ones), or we stand outside of them—denying our vulnerabilities and imperfections, orphaning the parts of us that don’t fit in with who/what we think we’re supposed to be, and hustling for other people’s approval of our worthiness. Perfectionism is exhausting because hustling is exhausting. It’s a never-ending performance.”

“We all have shame. We all have good and bad, dark and light inside us. But if we don’t come to terms with our shame, our struggles, we start believing there’s something wrong with us. That we are bad, flawed, not good enough. And even worse. we start acting on those beliefs. If we want to be fully engaged, connected, we have to be vulnerable. In order to be vulnerable, we need to develop resilience for shame Yes, shame is tough to talk about, but the conversation isn’t nearly as dangerous as what we’re creating with our silence. We all experience shame. We’re all afraid to talk about it, the more we have it. We have to be vulnerable if we want more courage, if we want to dare greatly.”

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.”

”Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://angelinapaintsauroras.square.site/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/angelinapaintsauroras
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/aurorasforaurora
• Other: https://medium.com/@angelinapaintsauroras