All photos by Marcus Cantagallo of Astro Media
Gone are the days when TikTok was viewed as a passing trend. The app has disrupted the world of digital marketing, pushing other platforms like YouTube and Instagram to dramatically shift their content to emphasize short-form video.
TikTok has also rapidly gained popularity among creatives—just ask emerging artist Trinity Stanley, the founder of Aquari HomeGoods. Her works have garnered a massive following on TikTok (@shopaquarihome).
Stanley's pieces are clean, textural, and contemporary, showcasing whimsical swirls and waves in a variety of colors. They are particularly soothing to watch being made, much to the delight of her TikTok followers. She also curates and sells quality, on-trend home décor pieces at accessible prices.
Additionally,15% of all Aquari HomeGoods' profits are donated to various charitable causes.
We recently connected with Stanley to discuss her approach to her work, interior design, and how to leverage social media to grow any business. See our insightful interview below.
1.What have you learned from promoting your art on TikTok?
Tiktok has been the perfect platform for promoting my business; its algorithm is unmatched! The platform has helped me target audiences in search of textured art, as well as those looking to collaborate with an artist on a custom piece.
Tiktok has also been a great learning tool for running a small business. Several entrepreneurs on the platform post helpful videos with tips on reducing shipping costs, marketing hacks, free small business resources, and more. This was very helpful when Aquari HomeGoods was scaling rapidly. I try to pay it forward now by helping answer questions in my videos’ comment sections from other entrepreneurs and artists trying to grow.
2. Your focus is on both visual art and home décor. What inspired this?
I studied Architecture in University and I currently work in the industry full time. Consumers want quality home décor options at affordable prices, which are hard to find in the current market. Upon recognizing this gap in the industry, I chose to take on the challenge of helping fill it while satisfying my personal need for an artistic outlet.
3. How does living in Vancouver influence your work?
What I create and sell draws a lot of influence from international home décor trends, and Vancouver is a very diverse city with a wealth of cultural representation. Furthermore, my family and I are immigrants ourselves, from South Africa, so I look for any opportunity to learn about other cultures when considering products to sell.
4. What interior design trends do your pieces reflect or compliment?
I started Aquari HomeGoods when textured art became a major trend in minimalistic home décor in 2021. Ever since then, it’s continued to stay relevant in interior design, and I think textured art is here to stay. The artwork is easy to integrate with other materials, colors and florals, allowing it to work with newer, trending home décor styles, like maximalism.
5. What advice would you give to others looking to grow their businesses on social media?
Stay consistent with your content and branding. Doing so will help you build a community create a that supports your business, as your followers will appreciate what you’re selling, your story, and how you interact with them. Also, do not be afraid to be unique! With so much content online, people will only stop scrolling for something that catches their attention. Lastly, have fun with your content creation. If you do, followers—potential and current—will notice.
