PositiveVibes Magazine is thrilled to feature Trilli. Trilli is a multi-medium artist specializing in all-glitter portraits, with a celebrity clientele including Paris Hilton, Floyd Mayweather, Winnie Harlow, Neal Schon (Journey) & wife Michaele (Real Housewives of DC). She’s worked for CMT and created a country music portrait series for stars such as Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Carrie Underwood. In 2018, she was featured in DeltaSky Magazine, and has accumulated over 20M views in viral videos since 2017 (via Insider, MyModernMet, Bored Panda, VICE, and more).
PVM: Tell us about yourself
I’m Trilli, a full-time artist living in Toronto, Canada. I have a Bachelor of Arts from Ryerson University in Film Studies, but other than that I am self taught, with a passion for music, theatre, film, dance as well as visual arts. I enjoy making all types of art and paint with acrylic and oil sometimes as well, but am most recognized for my specialty in all-glitter artwork, specifically focusing on portraiture.
PVM: How did you find your passion for glitter art?
My parents have a background in ballroom dancing, and had been involved in the industry since before I was born. When I was a toddler, they brought me along with them to attend conventions and competitions in various cities across the United States. There was a specific event in Las Vegas, which I remember having a huge impact on me as a child, as I was dazzled by all the lights and sparkles of that city. During the competitive dance shows at the hotels, the dancers’ dresses were adorned with Swarovski crystals, which I had noticed would fall off during performances onto the dance floor. I would run around the floor at the end of each show, collecting all the loose crystals, and placing them in a Styrofoam cup to take back home with me. These crystals were my treasures, and I used to love making all sorts of crafts with them as a child and all the way into my teenage years. During one of my craft experiments at 14 years old, I discovered glitter art as I was inspired to incorporate sparkles with my gem crafts. I first developed my unique glitter technique by making peelable/reusable sparkle tattoos. But it wasn’t until years later that I began experimenting with creating these artwork designs directly onto a canvas.
PVM: Who are your favorite artists and why?
Some of my favorite artists are: Tay Odynski is a Canadian artist (@Taytayski). I love her use of color and brand, great skill, she has fun with art and offers classes/demonstrations to make art relatable and accessible to everyone who is interested. Kat is a Toronto based artist (@Kat_Cee) who is a highly skilled painter portraying beautiful expression and use of color. She specializes in excellent, live paintings. She is super friendly and very active in the community and an inspiring talent. Tina Yu (@tina.yu.artist) creates incredible sculptures with mind-blowing precision and detail. I love her brand, the style and themes of her pieces.
PVM: Do you have advice for aspiring artists?
My advice to any ‘aspiring artists’ is that – you already are an artist, there is nothing more you should aspire to be, just be authentically you. If the goal is to make art, then make art, in whatever form you most enjoy doing so. If the goal is to make a living off your art, then set your intentions, make art for yourself first, and just focus on honestly developing and identifying your true voice. Speak that voice boldly, and everything that comes from that will be what is needed for your own personal and spiritual growth – which will bring you closer to everything you want. ‘Your tribe’, or those who genuinely resonate with your voice, will be attracted to your energy and come to support you, and learn from you and grow with you. This is what art is all about. It’s best to not overthink it and just be guided by what inspires you.
PVM: What are some of the biggest challenges for you?
Challenges for me are mostly surrounding producing high volumes of work, without totally burning myself out, especially when it comes to social media content. With the age of AI, the availability of the competitively priced products available on demand, I think our general perception of what an artist should charge and produce becomes somewhat skewed. I struggle sometimes with meeting the expectations of social media, and worrying that I am losing momentum or fans because I am not interacting as much. I am constantly working to find better ways of optimizing my time while prioritizing spiritual, physical and mental health, so that my artwork produced in the end is a better reflection of my true voice and what I am most inspired to create.
PVM: What does art do for you? Is it therapeutic?
Art can be therapeutic at times, but with my current schedule, I am often just focused on ‘producing’ and not taking my time enough to enjoy the process. Art is always therapeutic in some ways I do believe because you are always challenging yourself and pushing yourself in different mental/emotional ways. However, sometimes the ‘benefits’ of that therapy are often not realized till much later. 🙂
PVM: What is special about art?
True art is special because it is created by a force of nature. Only an artist can truly conceive an original idea and manifest it into reality, while a ‘machine’ can at best replicate creation. Imitation can be a gateway to artistry, but the artist will always see something deeper, connected to something bigger than just themselves. A ‘robot’ can only create the illusion of art, for the purpose of being bought or sold. We must be discerning of the difference between the two energetically. On the surface they may appear the same, but real art is of nature, while the alternative is something rooted in consumerism. Art helps to evolve humanity, as it inspires us to ask questions, in our search to define it.
PVM: What are some exciting projects you are currently working on?
I am currently wrapping up a special project called #100TrilliHearts, which was an initiative to spread some love for Valentine’s day. After the challenging past year we’ve collectively had, I wanted to make something that was affordable and accessible to many. I made 100 limited edition, mini glitter heart artworks which all sold out now! I enjoy coming up with different, fun, art projects, and hope these ideas inspire other artists who are developing their businesses as well. I am now beginning to focus more on my YouTube channel, developing art tutorial videos and some glitter art basics online courses. They should be ready to launch by Spring 2021.
PVM: Do you have any additional information you would like to share?
Some of my favorite projects/opportunities from the past year, include: making country music celebrity portraits for CMT, making a birthday portrait for Floyd Mayweather, a special couples portrait for Michaele Schon (Real Housewives of DC) and Neal Schon (lead guitarist/founding member of the band Journey), making some custom portraits for JoJo Siwa and Megan Trainor, and a special portrait of Iceman Wim Hof, which he featured on his Instagram as well.
Interview conducted by Zane Landin