Please introduce yourself and your business to our community.
My name is Bee Trofort, I am a sports and fitness photographer and educator on a journey to motivate and inspire others through imagery and storytelling. While creating with people striving to be their best selves, I want to encourage others to “Bee Fearless” along the way. I am the owner of Bee Fearless Studios, a rental creative space providing creatives with access to create fearlessly, while also providing educational resources to hone in on your craft!
At what point in your life did you realize your passion?
I realized my passion for art early on in middle school, but high school was when my love for photography started to grow. I wasn’t sure where it was going to take me at that point, but my teacher encouraged me that I have a gift and if I stick to it the possibilities could be endless, and boy was she right!
What did you learn about yourself in 2020?
2020 taught me the importance of stepping into and living in your purpose. I started putting my mission into the forefront of my actions, my branding, and my creations, and the support began to grow because I realized people were able to connect with my “why” more.
What do you attribute to your success in life and business?
I would attribute my success to working in faith, building a community to learn and grow with, remaining a student in my craft first, and having an amazing support system!
It is important for us to nurture a community of black women that share, learn, and thrive together. Please share a story of failure that taught you a valuable lesson.
Whew! I have failed NUMEROUS times, but the lesson that I always turn to is, just because one door closes, doesn’t mean that it’s locked forever! Oftentimes we are afraid to take risks because we don’t know what that failure will look like, but every failure can be a lesson you overcome.
Please let us know the woman you were 5 years ago and who you’re becoming?
5 years ago I was a woman who just started doing photography full time. I was hungry to prove to myself that I could sustain my life being behind a camera, and I was determined to show others what happens when you don’t give up! Currently, I am becoming more fearless, more driven, more determined to break the general ideation of fear that has been passed down, especially within our communities. I believe we all have gifts and a purpose, but a lot of us stop ourselves from reaching what we were meant to do because we were taught to be afraid of the unfamiliar.
What women in your life have been a source of inspiration?
I have been blessed to be born into a family with so many strong representations of what it means to be a wife, a mother, a boss, etc. From my mother, my twin sister, my aunts, my cousins, they all have shown me what type of woman to strive to be in business and in life.
Celebrate your wins! Brag, sis. What are you most proud of?
Whew, well number 1, I am most proud of opening Bee Fearless Studios in the middle of a pandemic! Honestly, I never wanted a studio early on in my career, until God showed me the studio had nothing to do with me, but to provide a space for other creatives to have access to the resources I had in college and during my internships. So to be able to have the opportunity to open this space has been the highlight of my career!
Quoting Audre Lorde, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” Please share your self-care routine.
I definitely need to do better with a self-care routine, but when I need to regroup, I usually take a day away from work, away from my computer, and find a place to just gather my thoughts and breathe.
You are part of our melanin muse tribe. How can we help you on your journey?
Support and prayers is the best help on this journey!
