We were lucky to catch up with Trina Lanza recently and have shared our conversation below.
Trina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
From a young age, I knew I was most myself within the arts. I loved to draw, design, paint; I went from ballet to gymnastics to dance, and I thought I was quite good at all of these things. Anything creative was where I was most comfortable and felt the happiest. The most interesting part about how I grew up was that I was always told that I should actually work towards a “regular” job. So in a sense, I never let myself imagine that any kind of drawing, designing, or dancing would be my end goal. Throughout high school and college, dance is what always stuck, but I was simultaneously getting a degree in Biological Sciences because I had told myself a job in the medical field would be secure. After finding a passion and a sense of belonging within the Physical Therapy world, I set all courses to pursue this and only this.
One day a few years after graduating from college, I really wanted a necklace I saw online but because of the price I decided to look into how to make my own. Long story short, I created my first necklace and loved it, and now I am funding myself through Physical Therapist Assistant school by creating and selling my own original trinkets. After leaving dance behind, I thought I’d never have a space to monetize my artistic abilities. But creating jewelry has sparked a creative renaissance in me. So while I always thought I’d end up having a “regular job,” at 25 I am extremely ecstatic to say that I’m pursuing several of my passions: Physical Therapy and creating jewelry, while making time to dance on the side!
Trina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
The craft I’ve developed today all started when I came across a beautiful mixed pearl necklace I knew I couldn’t afford. I looked up a few videos on youtube on how to make necklaces for beginners, then bought the first jewelry making kit I found online. After a quick trip to Michael’s to find some beads, I was making my first necklace. It was a mix of light blue and green glass beads with different colored freshwater pearls. After making this necklace, I never thought to make anything else besides an occasional bracelet for myself or a friend since I still had so many beads and materials. Over a year later I found my personal style changing, very heavily influenced by maximalism and accessory layering. This led me to explore working with colored beads (especially red), giant pearls, and gold charms feeling that my outfits lacked something.
One day in September of 2023, amidst moving homes and going through a tough time, I was hit by COVID and was sent to isolate in the empty house we were moving into. Not being able to work (or really do anything) for over a week, I brought everything I owned, a few pillows, and my jewelry making materials. It hit me that I could use this time to make jewelry and post about it, playing with the idea that maybe some friends would pay me to make them jewelry. The response made my heart happy. It jumpstarted what is now known as Trinket by T. I made beaded necklaces, mixed pearl bracelets, charm necklaces and was hard at work in my isolation. Only five months later I’ve shipped out my trinkets all over the country and have a full running business out of my bedroom.
Trinket by t strives to encourage creativity, personalization, and maximization of one’s personal style through their jewelry. My current specialization is in charm necklaces. Sourcing from several different locations I try to collect antique or vintage-inspired charms that have a classic feel, with an occasional nod to regency or victorian styles. Not only do I make sure each charm necklace has at least one locket to store sentimental items or photos, but I love creating custom pieces that clients design themselves. I love when clients message me with an original idea or gather photos of pieces I’ve already made to inspire a completely new one. I’ll never forget the girl who made her own necklace because she couldn’t afford the one she wanted, so I aim to make my pieces one of a kind, original, and most importantly affordable. Creating a piece that holds sentimental value, expresses their personality, and can maximalize one’s ensemble is what I live to see.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I never thought I would start a small business, and now I have so much respect for those that do. The best thing one can do is realize that artists are completely taking a chance on themselves, and your support, no matter how small will mean the world to them. You may see other artists with the same style or that have the same goals, and to this I say why not uplift each other and support each other instead of comparing or competing? We have all taken a chance because we saw our own potential, and the creatives that have taken this leap are looking for those that see that potential too. Something as small as telling artists that a piece speaks to you or hitting a like button on social media can go a long way.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
My audience on social media is still humbly growing, but in a very realistic sense I am incredibly proud to say that I’ve earned every single follower. Growing your business on social media is a full time job. Not only are you the creator, but you’re the photographer, the graphic designer, and the social media/branding manager. Styling, photographing and posting photos of my pieces were all jobs I thought would be the easy part. But to attract an audience, you have to make sure your pieces look attractive too. This is affected by everything such as background, lighting, quality…etc. But I think in order to be successful, you have to think hard about these details from the beginning, even when you only have a few followers.
To anyone who is thinking about creating a business or launching their social media, my advice is to be intentional. Create pieces that you love first. Don’t create things *only* because you think they’ll sell. Once you’ve found what you love making, the sales will follow. If you’re looking to grow your audience further, look into trends and be creative with reels or Tiktoks, while staying to true to yourself. Figure out how you want to represent your art, and don’t afraid. When you have confidence in yourself from the start, your reward will follow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.depop.com/trinketbyt/
- Instagram: @trinket.byt