We were lucky to catch up with Trina Lyn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Trina, appreciate you joining us today. Have you ever had an amazing boss, mentor or leader leading you? Can you us a story or anecdote that helps illustrate why this person was such a great leader and the impact they had on you or their team?

What a great question! I was actually just thinking about this subject. The best boss I ever had is my current boss, Mahsa Ghavamian, founder of the paint and sip studio Canvas ‘n Cup.

On the surface, it is clear Mahsa is an incredibly savvy business woman that knows her stuff. She’s a maverick- fiery, practical, and smart as whip. Beneath that, I have found her to also be an extremely kind person that goes out of her way for her employees. She’s always been very supportive and trusts me to do a good job in my work as a paint instructor. I think one thing that makes a great leader is the insight to see the strengths in others and to give them opportunities to shine because of it it. Mahsa made it very clear from the beginning that she believed in my skills and my ability to do a good job, and that means a lot to me.

Mahsa has also been teaching me a lot about honoring my time and valuing my skills appropriately. She looks after me by making sure that clients appropriately honor my schedule. Sometimes, she even gets heated about it on my behalf! It shows me that it’s okay to speak up, even in prickly professional situations, and highlights that respect is a two way street between both client and professional. I have never had a boss that was my advocate before like the way Mahsa has been for me. I look up to her, and other women like her.

There is a lot more to Mahsa’s incredible story, but I think it’s best told in her words: https://www.canvasncup.com/about-mahsa-ghavamian

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

“Paint parties” are events where groups of painting beginners get step by step instructions from an art teacher on how to create a chosen painting. I got involved with Canvas ‘n Cup and paint party instruction because I’m passionate about art and love sharing that joy with others. As a teacher, I get to provide my students a place where they feel safe enough to create. The rest comes naturally, as they begin to get warmed up to the idea of painting again.

For many of my students, it is the first time they have picked up a paint brush since grade school. In that way, it is an honor, and my responsibility, to present art to them in a way that feels accessible and fun. I think that this extra attention to the student, as opposed to the final product, is what sets paint party instruction aside from a regular art class. These classes are more like exercises in self care rather than hard nosed fundamentals, and to be a part of that is really special.

Many of my students come to class very worried. They believe that they will not be able to paint, that they will mess up and completely fail at the task. As we press further into class, it is a beautiful thing to see these same students slowly filling with confidence, and sometimes even pride.

They will suddenly sigh in the middle of class and exclaim, “Wow, this is really relaxing!” And this is true. The act of creating art, be it skillfully or poorly, is clinically proven to lower blood pressure and reduce stress. Showing people an alternative outlet for their stress is just as important as any artistic fundamental, and I’m happy to do that.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

As an artist, a lot of things come naturally to me. Painting lines, dotting in trees, ect… it seems so very simple! When I first started teaching paint parties, a knee jerk reaction for me was to say “OK, this next step is easy.” This was simply untrue. What I meant to say was, “This next step is easy…. for ME.” I was not taking in to account that my students did not have the same level of experience as me. I forgot that, a long time ago, I was a beginner once, too.

I’ve had hundreds of hours to practice painting fine lines and trees, and for some of my students they had only merely a few minutes practice! Things that seemed simple to me were just not to them. Ever since realizing this fact, I am very careful to ever say something is easy just because it is easy for me. Each student is on a different level, always learning, always improving. That shouldn’t be discouraged by the idea that automatically mastering a skill didn’t come naturally to them.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’m keen on believing that my goal as an instructor is to show people that art is more accessible to them than they originally believed. With a few basic techniques, some encouragement, and a little bit of confidence, anyone can create their own original artworks. In some ways, society has always been put being an artist on this pedestal as some sort of act that only “talented” people can participate in. Many people tell themselves that because they are not “good” at art, they should not spend time doing it. This could not be further from the truth. The reality is, that everyone should create art, because it’s healing to the soul. We all have the capacity to create art, if we can only allow ourselves to access that side of ourselves. Art is a form of magic- the act itself is creating something out of nothing. People should feel safe enough to practice this form of magic. And that’s one of my goals as a teacher- to facilitate that happening.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://trina.coffee
• Instagram: @trina_is_artsy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrinaIsArtsy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trinalyn/
• Other: https://www.canvasncup.com/

Image Credits
Canvas ‘n Cup