We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Trinity Cottrell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Trinity, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

I was born in the Summer of 2002 in Fullerton, the daughter of 2 ambitious church planters. My parents had two kids; me, and my younger brother. The two families from which I spring are as different in temperament as in origin. My father’s family was emotional, loyal, deep, and loved to laugh. My mother’s side was more sentimental, critical, creative, and hot-headed. Through the grace of God, they both showed tranquil affection that left me feeling loved at all times. My mother’s realism or “street smarts” and my father’s eternal optimism bred in me some idea that I had the capabilities to be joyful wherever I’m at in life.

I believe this concoction of feelings tends to brew creative children. For me, I took to painting along with anything creative I could get my hands on. I was struck specifically by the beauty of creatures. When I was about age eight I started drawing more anthropomorphized animals with clothes on. I love the bizarre representational nature of humans that animals exhibit. I probably first got these ideas from cartoons. My parents encouraged drawing by gifting me a journal to doodle in after I was sent to bed. This is where creativity became practice which blossomed into talent. To this day, most of my work consists of similar fairytale-type allegories.

One day, on April 4th, 2011, My parents received an email on my behalf. Calling me to the table after school, my mom and dad sat me down and had me read the short letter out loud. It began with “Congratulations! The Whittier Cultural Arts Commission has selected your artwork to show in the Whittier City Hall Lobby.” The dates of the solo exhibition were mentioned along with drop-off dates and at the bottom was written “Thank you for submitting your portfolio.” This email was a wonderful shock to all of us, especially to a 9-year-old with no official portfolio. Not to mention, my parents hadn’t sent anything. Either way, I was absolutely ecstatic imagining others enjoying my work.

At church that next Sunday, an older gentleman by the name of Lee Hardeman came up to my family and asked if we had received an email about an art show. He explained how he submitted the work that he saw posted frequently on my mom’s Facebook page. This was incredible. He not only found my work worthy of submitting but actually did it. That small gracious act was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. At that moment, this promising feeling of contentment came over, and I just knew this art show was the beginning of a lifelong loving devotion to creating art. My mom graciously directed me in making an “inventory” as well as matting and framing the pieces too. She devoted her organizational skills to me which built a solid foundation for me to grow as an artist. The act of kindness that Mr. Hardeman showed me meant so much because I see people like Mr. Hardeman investing in me even when they don’t receive anything from it. Though my skills are self-taught, I would never be where I am if it wasn’t for friends and family who see the value in not just art but in sharing the same compassion God has for us.

Now that I am older with the words to explain; this opportunity given to me by Mr. Hardeman was meaningful because it showed me how poetically undeserved it all was. As a kid, I made art because I enjoyed the process. My parents encouraged me because they loved me, Mr. Hardeman helped me because he knew it would make my day, galleries showed my work because they were compassionate towards their communities, and people bought my work which told me that what I was doing was actually meaningful and not just some personal release. All of this matters because it shows what a little bit of unmerited grace can do in someone’s life. It can change it for the better, forever.

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

I entered the art scene through a combination of kind people noticing me, as well as persistently applying, emailing, networking, visiting galleries, and generating work to gain interest. Though I still feel like a child, I have been told I am accomplished. I have shown my work in over 30 exhibits both in Orange County and Los Angeles County, winning awards in the adult categories even as a twelve-year-old. Although I have sold mainly oil paintings, I have also done murals, designed Tee shirts for a coffee company and a band, and most notably was given the honor to lecture at Pomona College’s Rembrandt club as a seventeen-year-old (the youngest ever to speak for them.) I am now twenty and most recently I have done three children’s books for different authors. I actually don’t have a clear set path yet. I am still figuring out how best to serve people in a creative way. So I guess what I’d like people to know is that I am seeking career opportunities while also selling my personal work which you can find on my website/instagram.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal through my work is to escape the triviality of culture and shed light on the simple yet vast symbolism that nature provides. I humbly have a defining purpose in life, that namely, I am not lost or trying to discover myself through art. I am a broken human being that has experienced vindication by God. I believe that any spark of creativity or wisdom that pours through my work is from God for God. The satisfaction I feel every time I pick up the brush is beyond what words can express. He is the most creative being I know. He designed the universe, its function, and placed every bird in the sky.
What better than to take inspiration from Him? God gave me a brain, and arms, and legs, and eyes, and ears. I’m going to use them and praise Him because they are a gift that I don’t deserve but have because God loves me. He designed us to be creatively expressive not only to put food on the table but to reflect His artisticness through our own. I believe this to be true and I don’t know about you, but wow, what an honor to be able to do what I love because God loves it too. What’s awesome is that senses aren’t merely neurological-chemical events but real and meaningful sensations given to you to experience closeness to God. I hope my artwork sparks some of those senses. Finally, I do not want to merely feed the flames of my ego but rather cause childlike ‘awe’ in adults and encourage deep thought in the hearts of children.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

There is one specific resource I just discovered on Instagram about a year ago. It is the absolute coolest thing too. If you’re creative and tired of hunting high and low each month for new events to submit your work to, then @artworkarchive on Instagram has your back. They post not only opportunities but advice on literally everything for all creatives. They hit topics like “How to Build Credibility as an artist,” “Practices that increase Opportunities,” “Myths,” “Five ways to Fix Work and Life Balance,” and more practical art-affirming advice. It’s what I start most days reading because more than likely it is encouraging and motivational.

Contact Info:

• Website: Trinityraelart.com
• Instagram: @trinityraelart
• Linkedin: Trinityraelart

• Other: Nope, that it :)

Image Credits
Amelia Wright