Featured Artist: Lily (Trap Phone Fairy)
"Trying to feel inspired everywhere, for me, is maintaining a mindfulness, or awareness, in everywhere I am and everything I do."
Decadent is very excited to share Lily, aka Trap Phone Fairy's lovely and lucid thoughts on art and creativity with you all today:) From tattoos to animation and everything in between, Trap Phone Fairy is a remarkably versatile and talented artist. Enjoy!
DECADENT: Let's just start with where you would say you're from?
TRAP PHONE FAIRY: I’m from in and around the Boston area. I’ve lived in 10 different places so far.
DECADENT: And what’s life looking like right now?
TRAP PHONE FAIRY: Life right now is looking like a lot of focus.
I’ve finally got my own space to be creative, and I have the materials and resources I need to commit to a vision. I’m excited to see what will be created.
I feel like past years helped me filter the soil, 2020 helped me plant the seed, and 2021 will definitely be about watering it with intention.
DECADENT: I always like to ask my artists what they're listening to - whether that means the music you've been into lately or the literal sounds surrounding you - so what have you been listening to?
TRAP PHONE FAIRY: I’ve been getting into all sorts of stuff lately. I love my friend’s music, I’ve been blessed to be around amazing musicians lately like Marlux, Jam, Sonni, and my roommates.
I mainly listen to variations of hip-hop and neo soul, like Anderson Paak, Smino, and Ka, but I’ve been listening to a lot of jazz, reggae, and music from Morocco lately.
DECADENT: How do you like to start your day?
TRAP PHONE FAIRY: I love to start my day with tea and a smoothie bowl, then I usually clean something to help clear my mind.
Then I roll up, and decide if it’s a planning and organizing day, or an active one.
DECADENT: What does your background in art look like? Did you always know you would want to be an artist?
TRAP PHONE FAIRY: I’ve always loved creating visual art. Drawing was a therapeutic escape for me ever since I was born. My school notebooks would be covered in doodles and I’d draw on myself a lot. My step-mom painted often and would let me use supplies, which definitely encouraged me.
I didn’t always know I would want to be an artist.
I’ve wanted to be a veterinarian, a dancer, a writer, a director, a physicist, and something stemming from my sociology degree. Late 2020 was when I realized I wanted to be an artist.
DECADENT: You said that you try to feel inspired everywhere, what does that look like/feel like for you? Are there times that you struggle to grasp the inspiration you’re looking for?
TRAP PHONE FAIRY: Trying to feel inspired everywhere, for me, is maintaining a mindfulness, or awareness, in everywhere I am and everything I do.
When I become deeply aware of what’s around me, I can begin to take note of visuals, feelings, and situations to later synthesize into a work of art.
There are times I struggle to feel inspired - this world is super draining of energy. But then I think that inspiration doesn’t have to always be followed by creation; the times when I’m the least inspired, often become inspiration later.
DECADENT: You told me that the people you meet are often a source of inspiration for you. What is it about these people that makes them inspiring to you? Is there something about each individual that you look for? or is it maybe the diversity of human persons that is striking to you?
TRAP PHONE FAIRY: The thing I find incredibly inspiring about meeting people, is the fact that I met them in the first place.
Out of all the people and places, I can say I met this person at this time, and I think that’s amazing.
I don’t necessarily look for anything in anyone, because everyone is so unique in their life stories, difficulties, and triumphs.
The diversity in the interests, passions, and knowledge of each individual is definitely striking to me. Although similar emotions are shared despite different situations, and I think that's where the inspiring connections take place.
DECADENT: How did you get into tattooing??
TRAP PHONE FAIRY: I’ve always been interested, but I first got a machine while backpacking in Portugal in 2019. I decided I wanted to stay longer, and make some extra cash. I became friends with an artist working at the hostel I was staying at, who was also interested in tattooing.
I became increasingly inspired, and gave my first tattoo to myself in his dorm.
It wasn’t until late 2020 that I began to respect the art form as a tattooist should.
Now I’m in love <3
DECADENT: You talked about 2020 in a very powerful way,
2020 gave me the destruction I needed to build what was truly important to me. As this is such a hard time for everyone, it made me come to a new level of appreciation and gratefulness for art and the people in my life.
Can I ask you to expand on what it means to build something up in one’s life, as an artist, out of the ruins of something else?
TRAP PHONE FAIRY: I think for me, art was helpful in making the pain or the “ruins” transformative, as it’s always been a sort of therapy. Being able to create knowing that this passion and ability can never be destroyed. . .
It will forever keep me at peace in times of hardship, and give me faith that there is beauty in creating after destruction. So I realized two things: that creation is at my core and cannot be destroyed (nothing important can), and I always have the power to start again.
Thank you so much, Lily!!
You can follow Trap Phone Fairy on Instagram here.
xoxo
Tasha