Artist Spotlight, Oberon Trinkets

 

 

PoCo Inspired: Tell us a bit about yourself

Leo: My name is Leo and I am a 19-year-old queer artist with a love for all things ethereal. I grew up in Winnipeg and started Oberon Trinkets at the start of the pandemic in spring 2020.

Oberon Trinkets is my first business start-up, and I hope to in future open a fantasy inn and tavern.

PoCo Inspired: When did you first start making jewellery and what was the first piece you ever made?

Leo: I made my first piece when I was younger, and it was actually in a Poco workshop back at the old location! After making my first simple wire-wrapped pendant, I fell in love with the art and just kept coming back.

PoCo Inspired: What inspires your creativity when making a new piece of jewellery?

Leo: I grew up drawn to fantasy and folklore, and that passion has persisted all throughout my life and now flows into my creations. I am close to my Irish heritage, so I often return to mythical creatures home to Ireland as my muse. More recently, a lot of my pieces have been inspired by different Pride flags. I released my first Pride set last spring, and since then I’ve been making my way through all of the flags! Hearing how my jewelry helped people express themselves and feel closer to their identities has been so meaningful to me, and I love hearing their stories. Just this week, I got to make a piece for my own gender expression, and it felt amazing.

PoCo Inspired: What is the single most important skill you have learned and why?

Leo: I think the most important skill I’ve learned is how to market myself. When I first started two years ago, I wasn’t quite sure how to present my business. Since then, I worked on my product photography to get a consistent feed, aesthetic reels that showed off my new pieces, and a website that encapsulated the fantasy vibe I loved. By creating this new image for my business, I was able to grow to meet many new people!

PoCo Inspired: What challenges do you face in your work?

Leo: I am an intense perfectionist, so I often find myself getting stuck on the quality of my pieces. Because of this, it’s hard for me to look at improvement in a positive way. Instead, it can just feel like I was doing things poorly in the past. I’ve been working on being a little less harsh with myself, but it’s definitely taken some adjusting!

PoCo Inspired: What is your biggest achievement so far in your business?

Leo: I would say my biggest achievement has been the reach my business has gotten since last spring! Some of my reels have gotten over 250K views, and I’ve got to send my pieces to over 20 countries! It’s amazing to think people all over the world are wearing something that I made in my little closet workshop here in Winnipeg.


PoCo Inspired: Where can we find you to shop online or in-person?

 

Instagram @oberontrinkets and on my website oberontrinkets.com