We were lucky to catch up with Trinity Rivard recently and have shared our conversation below.
Trinity, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?
Having started drawing at 5 years old, all I ever wanted to be was an artist. In my early-to-mid twenties, after graduating college, I attempted to make it my primary and only source of income, but I was young, inexperienced, and undisciplined. The creativity was there, but the focus, vision, and structure needed to propel me was not. While I would like to have started earlier, I believe we are all on different paths and things can take time. We are all evolving personally and professionally, and I used to place a ton of pressure on myself which created anxiety and would stunt my creativity. Of course, it didnt help having people in my life that continued the narrative that you can’t make it as an artist or that it’s too difficult. I would admit that some of that creeped into my head and got stuck there. Regardless of life’s circumstances, I never quit creating and making art pieces- drawings, paintings on canvas, custom works for private clients here and there. Continually producing work as I evolved provided me a wealth of influences to draw from (no pun intended) (i.e. life experiences, relationships, upbringing, cultural influences, etc. ) which made my work more meaningful. As time went on, I better understood myself as an artist. Today, I am grateful for my creative evolution and I have learned to be more open and less critical of myself in my creative process. Working on public art mural projects has been instrumental to my artistic growth and development. The opportunity to collaborate with different communities to bring ideas and visions to life and make new friendships and connections has been rewarding beyond my imagination. My path as an artist becomes clearer with each completed project and I grow more in love with the creative process.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I design and install large-scale public murals as well as custom paintings on canvas. I started drawing and painting as a youth, then exhibiting in art shows in my twenties and thirties, and then changed my approach and creative process as I began to work larger before eventually creating murals. Gallery shows relied upon people coming into the event, sometimes just for a small window of time such as one night, and then it was over and the moment had passed. I would be so excited leading up to the show, with the peak being the night of the event, and when it was over I would come down off of that high. With public art, the work is there indefinitely, allowing the community to observe, interact, and question over a period of time. Therefore, I consider the longevity of the art when I am creating it. Coming from a family of creatives with roots in Trinidad & Tobago, my creative process takes into consideration people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures. When I create public art, my bold style and bright colors aims to connect with people, uplift their spirit, and energize them when they might not be expecting it and possibly need it most. I see it as a gift that I want to share and each completed project propels me further, fueling my creative ambition to inspire. As you will see from my past public art mural projects, I want to tell a story with my murals, and I get excited at opportunities to research communities through conversations, historical photos, stories, and timelines which I use to begin creating. I often invest days or weeks into a design before paint ever touches the wall. This allows me to become fully immersed in the project at hand, and the installation is an extension of the time already invested which creates a more meaningful outcome and a work of art that takes on a life of its own.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
There is definitely a disconnect between creatives and mainstream society at times. Artists are often misunderstood, and while business owners or other entities have good intentions to support artists, sometimes their approach can be somewhat presumptuous. I can’t count the number of times early in my career that I have been approached and asked to create or display artwork for a business with nothing offered in return other than “it’s a great opportunity to show your work and get exposure”. No other profession works in this manner, where one side is getting art guaranteed, and the other party gets nothing guaranteed. It shows the lack of consideration and respect for the artist’s intellectual property, their supplies, and their time. Business owners and others who wish to support artists should approach artists with an open mind and be willing to hear how their art might be able to empower their business and work out a mutually beneficial financial agreement which will allow a starving artist to earn enough to reinvest in their craft and create enough longevity to realize their potential and dreams.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Early in my career, I was looking for advice and I had the opportunity to speak with an art consultant who also happened to be the spouse of a highly respected artist. I was eagerly awaiting this phone conversation, very excited with lots of questions planned out. When we began talking, I realized this person had no intentions of providing any guidance, but instead basically told me I had very little chance of becoming a full-time artist. I was crushed at the time, and I never forgot that conversation. Today, a mural I designed and installed is located on the same college campus as her spouse. I will never forget how I felt after that conversation, and how I felt after completing that mural. The universe has a way of correcting imbalances and making right what was wrong if you keep moving forward with an open heart, clear mind, and a resilient spirit.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.trinityrivard.com/projects
- Instagram: trinityrivard
Image Credits
Profile pic – BMG Photos
Mural pics – HomeShot Photography