We were lucky to catch up with Christopher “The Real Frii” Elliott recently and have shared our conversation below.

Christopher “The Real Frii”, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The biggest risk I’ve taken in life, to date, has to be the one I took on January 31, 2022 at 4:24pm. This was the day I emailed the HR department at my “day job”, and notified them I would not be returning to work, and formally resigned. Now that I think of it, I may want to print that email and frame it. God, I was so nervous hitting that “send” button.

I had already been out of work for about 4 months on medical leave of absence from a blood clot that suddenly took me by storm. After realizing I could no longer do the job at the “9-5”, I had to make a decision to either return with a handicap adjustment, or use this moment as an opportunity to pursue using my voice full-time. So my journey had begun from just having the passion of spoken word, acting, and music as a side gig, to now being the MAIN GIG. I’m almost 1 full year into this full time entrepreneurial creative journey, and it has NOT been easy.

It still isn’t easy today. So, to answer “how it turned out?”, my answer would be that it is still being “exercised”. Some days are really tough. Some weeks are tough, then you have an amazing month. It’s a rollercoaster, but like a past guest on my podcast “Frii Lunch” once said, “It’s MY rollercoaster…” (Steve Orosco).

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My brand is all about being Frii, pronounced “free”, but you know us creatives have to use every opportunity to be extra (If you know, you know). FriiStyle Gahspol LLC, DBA The Real Frii, started just over 10 years ago as an attempt at a clothing line idea I had. By total accident, it later revealed so many other talents of mine and morphed into this performance and vocal brand.

So I’m mostly known for setting the first ever official world record for the longest written alliteration, with the publication of my poetry book “The Epic Poem: Mastermind”. Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of using my voice and writing ability to tour across the U.S., England, Switzerland, and France as an indie spoken word/hiphop artist, and facilitator of songwriting workshops. Using my faith in God and inspiring young people is a huge part of what being “free” for me is all about, and so I also do a lot of consulting work in the nonprofit and educator space, as well as some creative writing workshops with students surrounding my record-setting book.

From my “Studio A” located in Connecticut, I record my podcast “Frii Lunch: Free Food For Your Soul”, executive produce 7 other podcasts, and perform voiceover work for brands like Delta Airlines, Everlast, Jiffy Lube, and more.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Let me tell you, I wish I knew the real power of a cell phone and social media years ago. It’s a resource that many of us have already, especially you iPhone users. The thing is, I’ve managed to get a bachelors degree, write research papers, create PowerPoint slides, editing video, create flyers, write songs, make music, create graphic tees, etc etc ALL FROM MY PHONE. It doesn’t take much to then realize how you can then take that power to create and connect it to social media.

Social media is so volatile though, and potentially crippling. It’s like money! Too much of it can make you become prideful or lose focus and become “poisoned” by it. Used properly, it can LITERALLY change your life for better and be an effective tool for inspiring and changing other people’s lives.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The mission driving me is to inspire others to become the best versions of themselves. My faith in God allows me to tap into something greater than myself, and so I’m also trying to show people how vastly creative and wonderful the God in me truly is. I believe we’re made in God’s image. You can’t box God, and you can’t box Frii. That’s my brand’s slogan, “Be Free For Real”.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/therealfrii

Image Credits
Blaq Pearl Photography (image with Frii holding the boom mic w/face mask on chin) Jay Brantley (headshot image of Frii, black tee w/hair out).