Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Bell.
Hi Travis, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It was ALL a “dream” and passion that wouldn’t allow me to rest until my creative nature started to manifest. First, it started by finally embracing me that was created & designed to maintain a unique gift.
I relocated from Florida to Atlanta in the summer of 2012 to further my Fashion Design degree at A.I.U. (American InterContinental University) but later transferred to Georgia Southwestern State University to pursue Business Management. This educational journey embedded so many vital skills and preparation that I could utilize in both my Management Firm & Clothing line.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, the road and journey has been filled with turbulence. A lot of people never knew but I was classified as “homeless” prior to relocating from Florida to Atlanta (Summer of 2012) with just a dream and a mindset of persistence. I even had a close family member initially confirm I could stay with her for a little while during this dark time of my life, however, this time was cut extremely short once her “baby daddy” drove in from a city that’s an hour & a half way where he woke me up from my sleep late one night to take me for a ride to iHop for a meal to tell me that once we return to the apartment I needed to get my things and leave because his kids needed their “space”. Mind you I was sleeping on my personal blow-up mattress in either a corner or my little cousin’s room. With $200 of food stamps, I offered as my method of payment and purchased groceries for the house but I still was told to leave the premises & no longer felt welcome. I left out of respect and….
I packed up my old Honda Accord & went on a voyage to ATL (mind you the car wouldn’t go in reverse so I was embarrassed driving it around people that knew me, however, I was determined not to allow this current setback to be my final destination). I recall taking the first job of $10 per hour (part-time) in ATL, which only was enough to put gas in my car to commute back & forth to work and the place I called home (which was a friend’s house that allowed me space to sleep on a blow-up mattress for a couple months). I remember crying and praying myself to sleep many nights after meditation and journaling on how I wanted better for myself.
Despite the challenges faced, Life is like a tape, you can’t fast forward through the hurt. You have to let the tape play out, the bad’s gonna keep on repeating. We’ve all been through A-LOT of obstacles over time and change isn’t easy.
Change, Growth, and Adulting are all uncomfortable and our instinct is to rush and try to fix it but it’s part of our journey.
I learned to sit in the uncomfortable and trust when I could not see… because that’s exactly how FAITH works.
And in the words of Henry Ford…“Failure is another opportunity to start again”.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a self-taught Fashion Designer with a clothing/sneaker line scheduled to officially launch end of 2022 / Early 2023!
I sing, manage artists, and style an inspirational musical talent/group that I’m a part of – Lawrence Flowers & Intercession. Where we have recorded numerous albums (i.e., Merge, Champion, and More… to name a few). In 2022, The group has hit Top 5 Billboard charts and most recent album debuted at #1 on iTunes; with two current Billboard #1 Singles (Way & Calculated). Working with the label (Anderson Music Group) has been a dream come true and so many answered prayers.
I have also been blessed to recorded on GreenLeafs Season 2 soundtrack and a few episodes from the show (Own Network).
How do you think about happiness?
Happiness is that feeling that comes over you when you know life is good and you can’t help but smile.
Fulfilling my heart and working my passion is what brings happiness to me. What I mean by that is being able to see others be expressive fashionably where they can channel a sense of confidence after I’ve helped pull out looks they envision for shows, photo/video shoots, or for any other events.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @iamtravisbell
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ramon.lfi
Image Credits
Photographer: Erick Robinson
