Meet Gabriel Freeman

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gabriel Freeman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gabriel below.

Hi Gabriel, appreciate you sitting with us today. Maybe we can start with a topic that we care deeply about because it’s something we’ve found really sets folks apart and can make all the difference in whether someone reaches their goals. Self discipline seems to have an outsized impact on how someone’s life plays out and so we’d love to hear about how you developed yours?

I would have to say my discipline came from several entities. I grew up in a single parent household of women in Astoria Queens, NY. Seeking a male role model that exuded discipline was challenging. I mean my mom showed some discipline and the strength of making ends meet, not giving up with a discipline focus to provide for me and my sister.

I would say around 8 years old, I first learned what discipline was about by hanging out with the older kids in the projects and wanting to prove to them that I wasn’t just a young kid and that I was useful. From there I would learn loyalty, patience, how to be persuasive, deceptive, cunning, the ‘no snitching’ rule and being calm cool, and collective around authorities. This was the ‘street code’ that taught me discipline. I also grew up on TV. I gravitated towards heroism in cartoons and martial arts. The martial arts really peeked my interest, in which it talked about the eastern philosophies and discipline to become a master of their art form. To watch the dedication of a kung fu person do something over and over, not quit, learn the culture to become better was what I saw in myself. I was that type of stubborn that if there is something I want to learn I was not going to stop until I learn and become good at it. By the time I was a teenager I combined what I saw and learned to form a set of rules, if you will, to live by and to add structure to my character.

When my mom married an Army soldier, I further learned what discipline was about. Not only did he teach me that discipline comes with dedication, aspiration and the willingness to stay focus to accomplish goals but traveling from base to base I joined basketball teams and learn discipline to be the best point guard I could be and teamwork. Not realizing later in life, I would join the Navy. Once in the Navy I learned that discipline was also a part of honor, loyalty and patriotism. Boot camp breaks you down to restructure you to be obedient, loyal, discipline to show honor. So, I adapted pretty good to military life. So, if I had to sum it up the entities that taught me discipline would be ‘street life’, Uncles, neighborhood ‘pops’, coaches and the Navy.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

‘Hey Young World’… My name is Gabriel. When you get to know me, I’m just that ‘Same ole G’, lol. I am an artist that has a need to express my abilities of design through the expression of designing clothes, graphic designs and clothing. I have been drawing on paper, in composition notebooks and walls aa a young kid. As I got older, I graduated to shirts, jackets and walls. The choice of medium was airbrushing, spray cans, markers and oil base paints. At the time I didn’t know what this was called. I just know when I was creating, I was free from the restraints of the world and my focus was to make the person happy for the design they wanted. It wasn’t until the late 90s that what I did was called graphic design. Once I knew I enrolled at the Art Institute of Houston to get better through the disciplines of the program.

Once I graduated, I was like it was on!! I applied to ad agencies, newspapers, print shops anywhere I could utilize my talents. For 5 years I kept pushing to work for someone at the same time honing my skills doing freelance work. I finally gave up looking for a break and created my own break. The idea of Frestylin Concepts Design Studio was berth in 1999. I was like I will just keep making logos, designing layouts for business cards and websites. My motto is ‘We bring forth your graphic vision to life” To me that was important to take an idea from the mind of a client, put it on paper and then into the graphics program from there to mockups of their branding like cards, clothes, hats, pens and even buildings. The excitement of a client looking at the finish product from a stick figure sketch to an elaborate design that looks professional was EXERERATING to see. The happiness was worth it all. I was new to the game, so I didn’t charge high prices and learned did those intricate details needed to be charged more but I still was charged on the outcome.

It’s been a long time coming for my journey. I kept my business aspirations as a side thing through 2 marriages because it was hard to convince the spouse that this dream is what I want, and this would be good for us. So, I got a regular 9-5 to support the family. Years later after 2 divorces I went on a journey of depression, despair and homelessness to finally get where I am today. In 2024 I finally have a store front to work out of and my own clothing line along with a partnership with 2 high school friends with another clothing line.

The business is Frestylin Concepts Design Studio doing business as Cre8tive Dezigns in a suite in Mo. City Texas. Here I have 2 t-shirt clothing lines Alien Geek Nation and Veteran Pride, The AGN is for the geeks in the world that love the sci-fi world and appreciate the extra-terrestrial life. It’s a spin of ole Hip Hop (I am Hip Hop) with the geek feel. I am a geek at heart, I love cartoons, collect comic books and action figures (NOT DOLLS) lol and the idea that we are not alone. (Que X-files theme music) lol. The logo is an alien head that is wearing cazals. (Run DMC glasses). The Veteran Pride line is the other t-shirt clothing line that honors our military Veterans. I have creative designs for Vets to wear that loved what they did for this wonderful country. The t-shirt clothing line I have as a partnership with is called Cigar Passion (with 2 other ppl). This line is catering to the cigar world. We have all different types of fun designs and even a golf polo for those that like to puff on the green. This line has really caught the attention of the public but like all my lines it needs to grow, I get a lot of great feedback, but I need that feedback to transform into sales… ijs lol. All the T-shirts are on my site www.cre8tivedeigns.com. You can follow the latest and the greatest designs of the AGN & Veteran Pride on IG: cre8tive_dezigns and all the Cigar Passion designs IG: cigarpassion_og

Creating is a rush to me. I get excited when I get a chance to make unique and one-of-a-kind designs for ppl. Our niche is the flavor of unique designs that cater to the genre and lets the person wearing it feel original and fun that they are wearing something is in what they like smoking cigars or being a veteran. I still do graphic design and printing. In the office there are two rooms, one for Print Media and the other for Manufacturing the shirts. So, at the store I still do logos, branding and design layouts for anything, from vending machines to event passes. I am like this, see what I have, talk to me, I have that kind of persistence and discipline to take a stick figure drawing to give you your dream vision of branding or design.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The 3 impactful things in my life were:
-Fear of Failure
-NOT trusting in my ability
-NOT trusting to God to guide me through the calling and direction of plan he has for me
The 3 skills I acquired to help me achieve was:
– God (prayer0 submission to the word. Not trying to do it myself
-Getting a master’s degree in business marketing/ management
-The discipline to listen, learn and ask questions for clarity.

Through my ‘Ups and down changes and turnarounds’ I learned that you are NOT alone, there is help there. You must ask. Do your research and take what you learn and create a 5-year plan to achieve the necessary goals to get where you are. Having structure and a plan is essential to succeed without it you’re just winging it and that gets you broke busted and disgusted. If you are brand new to the game, then business seminars will help. I’m saying go sit and spend 1K at a seminar that they are going to offer you their team to get you started. I’m saying that a lot of the work is free out there on the net, in the libraries, self-help books and on community boards that offer start-up business information. Veterans seek the VA; they have all types of programs for start-up businesses. If I had advice to give it would be to do your research, know your niche and if you can seek a mentor.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

I was given a lot of books on my journey. One particle book I was given to me by a woman in my life close to my heart, it is called The Secret by Rhonda Secret.” This particle jem that stood out was this quote. The law of attraction is obedient. When you think of the things that you want, and you focus on them with all of your intentions, then the law of attraction will give your exactly what you want, every time. When you focus on the things that you don’t want – “I don’t want to be late, I don’t want to be late” the law of attraction doesn’t have that you don’t want it. It manifests the things that you are thinking of, and so it’s going to show up over and over and over again. The law of attraction is not biased to the wants or the don’t wants. When you focus on something, no matter what it happens to be, you really are calling that into existence.” ~Lisa Nichols~

What I got out of this is the focus which causes an attraction of existence. It’s like saying when you pray speak it into existence and it shall come to past. I started doing things that I wanted to accomplish by writing down a plan and speaking it into existence. I finally said I’m not listening to people about not getting a store front, you need clients to sustain and stay in your garage. I wrote down a budget, what I would have to bring in to maintain it, where I want to be and set aside the money to maintain it for a year. I stumbled on the business center dropping off a client Ubering across the street. I inquired the next day. Had an excellent repour with the landlord and he told me I have one unit coming available next month. I kept in touch, had my plan in place and the place was mine by birthday in May.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Pictures of the products. The Alien Geek Nation with a custom hat I did. The Veteran Pride Navy shirt, The Photoshoot of Cigar Passion clothing, The Golf polo for Cigar Passion.

the bottom pictures are the first two are the Cigar Passion clothing The hot seller of the lips. it comes in different colors and the a classic logo design. The last two ae from the Veteran Pride line. The DD-214 and the P.T.S.D. one

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