Today we’d like to introduce you to Brinton Freeze
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
San Antonio, Texas is where I call home. I was born and raised there and it was all I really knew aside from the rural coastal country life my parents grew up in. Living in the suburbs of San Antonio make it easy to realize that you only have friends if you have a car or you happen to live near the friends you go to school with. Even then, a 20 minute drive is considered “short.” The sprawl of the city made it hard to venture out and I’m an only child so I spent a large chunk of my early years alone as my parents worked their asses off to make ends meet. It was in the initial 18 years of living in the countdown city that the hustle and grind lifestyle were engraved into my being. This city will forever have the best food and charismatic culture and I might be biased but damn they just know what tastes good and when the food is good, it’s hard to not be happy.
High School for me was brutal. I attended a college preparatory school which ultimately allowed me to graduate with over 50 hours of college credit. I took video production classes, played varsity tennis, and graduated at the top of my class but unfortunately did not get into the colleges I had dreamed of going to. I will say the people I met there are still actively in my life and are very much family to me.
I left San Antonio to attend Texas Tech University where I pursued a degree in Architecture and Business. It placed me 6 hours away from home and it also meant moving to a place where I knew nobody. This is where I really found my voice as a designer. My professors here were incredible and really pushed me to channel the passion and desire to push the limits of what a building could be.
I then came to Austin, Texas to pursue a graduate degree in architecture and interior design at The University of Texas at Austin. After once again not getting into the programs I had worked so hard for, I took a step back and re-evaluated how I wanted my life to be moving forward as I went through grad school. It was then that I started a clothing company with a few of my best friends to make sure I wasn’t putting all of my eggs in one basket. 2 years of grad school flew by as did 3 years of running a company. There’s a lot I could say about this time period, a lot of good and a lot of bad, Ultimately, I wouldn’t change any of it and I think that’s the important note to end on.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t think I know what a smooth road is and I think after 25 years, I can kind of see one ahead – I think. I struggle with a hyper independence from being an only child in a low income family. Architecture school has a way of working you until you both physically and mentally forget who you are outside of it all. I averaged around 4-6 hours of sleep a night for 6 years and now have to pass 6 more exams to become licensed post graduation which is something I’m currently tackling. While there was a plethora of other bumps along the road, whether it be awful dating stories or business nightmares, I think the other largest struggle along the way was figuring out my sexuality. Being bisexual in a very opinionated world often make it difficult to really be my authentic self at times.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
While I am a healthcare/university architect by day, I am a drone pilot whenever I find the time. It’s a hobby that found me while I was training for an Ironman in the weirdest way. I am actually approaching my 1 year mark of having a drone the opportunities I have had from it are insane. Life is all about walking through the doors that open for you and that’s is how I have treated this drone side quest. I love that I can use my video production roots and incorporate my love for music into a way to view the world. While I am relatively new to the scene, I’m most proud of my ability to tell the stories of those in the community through it. I shoot for several run clubs regularly here in Austin and have even done a few weddings. I think my ability to act fast in the moment and follow my instinct make my ability to capture live events unique.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Life isn’t worth living if you’re too afraid to actually let yourself live it. Send the text, start the business, run the ironman – never die wondering. Those in your life will help you navigate your challenges if you’ve surrounded yourself with the right people. I think the darkest parts of my life have been when I know I’m not taking that so called “risk”. I don’t really like to acknowledge that there is even a risk involved if I’m being frankly honest and as I get older, I find myself starting to be a bit more calculated about my next moves but still ensure I’m taking that next step that’s going to push me out of my comfort zone. You’ll never know what you’re capable of if you never let yourself try.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brintonfreeze/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brinton-freeze-97a101156/
Image Credits
Thomas Camacho
