We recently connected with Gillian Trask and have shared our conversation below.
Gillian, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I think getting put through ‘the wringer’ in life is a part of building resilience. Life has thrown me some really tough curve balls, so I have developed resilience over time. It certainly hasn’t been easy, and overcoming things like rejection, criticism and judgment of myself and my work is just a part of what makes an individual a better artist, in my opinion.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I play with fire and sculpt sterling silver and gold by hand. I play by pushing the boundaries of what metal can do. Every piece is sculpted by hand. These pieces are born, melted and molten, and are infused with the energy from my emotions.
I created Gillian Trask the night I melted my thesis piece. It was due the following day. I had put maybe 40 hrs into this piece- and I was so proud of it. It was very technical. Sadly, at three AM that night, I melted the whole piece.
I quickly realized that tears and fire don’t mix, so to re-alchemize my own emotions (my own meltdown), I shoved it aside and started melting any silver I could find. I created the Life in Circle Ring that very night. It was the origin story of the beginning of Gillian Trask Jewelry and the beginning of fusing empowerment into every piece.
It seems to be something people can relate to, because I’m proud to say that this past April we opened up our very own brick and mortar store at 248 Bull Street, Downtown Savannah.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Persistence, patience, and having the grace to fail. Do I have all of these qualities? Ah! Not always. But, I have found that taking time to rest and center myself always helps me remember to have patience and grace. The persistence part is luckily part of my nature, but even then I have to remind myself that I’m human. My Dad always said, ‘If you fall off the horse, dust yourself off and get right back on.’ Try and try again. The patience and grace will come with time.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
I created a new line called the ‘Unlocked Collection’ about some of the growth we experienced recently. In one month, we sold our home, bought a new home, moved our studio, and renovated and opened our store. It was a huge time for growth, and honestly, I still don’t know how we managed to make it work.
I created our Unlocked Collection with the idea that we have to open ourselves up to the possibility of growth and allow for more opportunities to come in. Being open and having a bit of faith in oneself, can only help our growth. Being open to the possibilities of what the Universe can throw at us is what is exciting about life.
Now that we are coming up with a full year in our brick-and-mortar and new studio, I’m so glad that we took the risk. It was in alignment with the dream of supporting my art, and it’s only been getting better every day since.
Contact Info:
- Website: gilliantrask.com
- Instagram: @gillian_trask_jewelry
