Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Trave Hunter. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Trave, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on is the book I most recently published, Book of Psalms: The Anthology. For all of my life writing has been my escape. It’s been my stress release. It’s been the place where I empty the tank to be filled back up again. I remember being a kid and having to sit at the kitchen table to do my homework, which was learning how to write. I remember tracing the numbers and the letters. I can’t quite remember how I got so comfortable writing that I fell in love with doing it. Life was difficult for so many reasons. I wasn’t the same color as other kids in my class, I didn’t have all the things that they had, . . . for example, I didn’t have a mom and dad at home. I had a grandma and a grandpa. As a child, you don’t understand why your situation is different. Kids are curious, so they ask questions. Kids also lie. I did, anyway. Because I didn’t understand, and I didn’t realize that this wasn’t something that was new or out of the ordinary. I blamed myself and often wondered what it was that caused my life to be the way it was. It’s crazy to even say that situation isn’t out of the ordinary. I was a quiet, but very emotional child. I threw myself into books when I learned to read. Reading and writing became a sort of guide to expressing my heart. I was in love with words and the stories they told. I found out that I could sing when I was in the fifth grade and was singled out to sing my part in choir. Then I began to draft my own words through poetry, and eventually through songs. My book does not contain all of the poems and songs that I’ve written from all of my life, but many of them are about my life and things that have happened. Many of them are about the knowledge and relationship that I’ve built with God through the things that happened. This is why Book of Psalms is so meaningful to me.

Trave, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a Christian author and artist. I sing, I’m a songwriter, I do poetry, and I am the author of 6 books of my own and 2 more that I co-authored. I love being a creative, an artist. I’m set apart from others, as they are from me as well because every artist brings their unique perspective to their work. Our work represents the experiences, the love, the trauma, the testimony, identity. If you’re doing what everyone else is doing and how they’re doing it, you’re not an artist. You’re not a creative. You haven’t created. While I use to shy away from fully being myself, using my gifts, I pride myself on releasing what needs to be said. I do what I do to be a blessing. I work for God. It makes my heart happy to spread His word, His love, and be a light to those surrounded by darkness. That’s what you should know about me and my work.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ve had to unlearn the importance of opinion. That is a lie that breeds fear. I’d never release anything if I was always concerned about what others think, if they’ll like it. Will they read it? Will they buy it? Will they listen? I’ve had to learn in order to unlearn that. I’ve learned that the people who were meant to be there, buy that, hear, and read my work… will. They will. If I claim that my work is an expression of myself, then the thing I’m really concerned about is if they’ll like “me.” Right? But beware, it’s a lesson you have to unlearn daily. Opinions aren’t going anywhere, but your work, if you let it, will take you places you’ve never seen before or imagined.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

In the past, I’ve been called deep, different, weird, extra, . . . all the things. We don’t understand what we don’t know. If you haven’t walked in my shoes how can you know? If you’ve never asked, how can you know? Yes, I hope my work will tell my story and speak loud for itself. I try to explain some of my work in my book. I hope it helps. If not, I love explaining what I meant, where my head was, where my heart was, who and what I was referring to. Just ask.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: trave.nicole
• Facebook: trave.nicole
• Youtube: Travé Nicole

Image Credits
WiFive Media Studios EyeScene