Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Dodd.
Hi Chris, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started my professional entrepreneurial journey in 2012, at the time, I relocated to Los Angeles, CA with the intent of becoming an actor.
After taking on various amounts of basic acting & modeling gigs and beginning to brand my image, I realized LA was not for me as I did not believe it had the tools to offer me needed to pursue the ultimate goals and message I was trying to put out into the world.
I relocated back to NY, and briefly got into creating music for a few years, after some success and wins in the music industry, I realized that was not for me as well as I did not believe I was getting my message across through that art-form as well. After a brief pause in the action, I used some time to reflect on who I really was as a person and what I wanted in life & how I wanted to express myself through creativity.
I got back to my true passion which was styling clothes and putting together Men’s fashion outfits & sharing them paired up with either my love for hip-hop culture or my nature to inspire others with self-improvement messages & overall positive energy, after struggling as an influencer/creator within my niche.
I decided to take my passion a step further and create my own clothing brand/store which is entitled “BLACK ROSES” FFWD to today, I know have been at BlackRoses for 5 years and am continuing to learn & grow the ins & outs of my industry & grow my business to where I ultimately want it to be.
At the same time, I am spending a lot of time creating content revolving around self-improvement and doing everything I can to pass on what I learn & share my story through creative content on social media & my podcast, “The Exchange Podcast” I am a work in progress & continue to learn & share knowledge.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My road to where I am today & to where I am going has not been smooth in any way shape or form.
Everything I’ve learned and accomplished has been through consistent hard work and relentless dedication to not only become the very best version of myself but to have all of my creative projects and business reach their full potential as well. I’ve had to really learn on the field as they say.
Anything I’ve ever learned or accomplished has been through my own personal trial & error.
This often means spending my own time, energy & money and learning from my mistakes to propel me further, although I’ve been blessed with many influential figures in my life, I’ve never truly had a mentor & have learned & continue to learn everything on my own.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In terms of my creative journey, I come from being a lifelong skateboarder. I started skating when I was 11 & at age 31 today still continue to jump on my board here & there for physical activity, inspiration, and stress relief. Through really finding myself on my skateboard I was able to identify that I was someone who did not belong in the crowd, rather I preferred to do things my own way.
Skateboarding really gave me the confidence to stand out & express myself in a different way than my peers. Although I have not been a full-time or daily skateboarder like I used to, I still take my experience as a skateboarder along with me on all of my creative journeys and projects today. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to take the time to really explore all facets of what interests me creatively speaking.
I’ve spent time as an actor, model, and musician, & through getting my feet wet in all of those things I was able to hone in on what has always been consistent in my life which is my passion for clothing. In every sort of creative passion of mine the thing that always separates me from others was the way I presented myself, through the clothing I wear, or through the tattoos I’ve put on my body, I have my own unique style & image that I am proud of.
I decided to double down on that & have been exploring ways I can make the biggest impact possible to inspire & change others through my passion for clothing & styling outfits, which is where I am today. Today I spend my time running & building my clothing business as well as reading, learning & doing my best to share & inspire others with everything I’ve learned along the way.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
In terms of things that I wish I knew when starting out, I would not change a thing.
Ignorance is bliss & without me not really knowing anything professionally about my crafts this allowed me to pursue things with an undeniable amount of ambition & confidence.
The only thing I would bluntly tell someone who’s just starting out is to PLEASE, PLEASE, do not care about other people’s opinions of what you are setting out to do, do not let the negative feedback crush you & it is equally as important to not get too high off the positive feedback either.
Be clear with yourself on what it is you want to achieve, write it down, stick it to the wall and stay laser-focused on that and block everything else out.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.instagram.com/chrisdoddbr
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/chrisdoddbr
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/kushtopherdodd
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/chrisdoddbr
- Other: www.blackrosescollection.com
Image Credits
@ericadavidphotography
