Meet Travis Farris | Actor, Father, Husband, Cattle Rancher, Small Business Owner, Artist…

We had the good fortune of connecting with Travis Farris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Travis, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Well, I decided to become an actor…for me, low-risk equates to high comfort. While this may feel safe and easy, it most often leads to very little progress or evolution. I’ve always seemed to make most decisions big and small from an intuitive place. Risk always gives me a “gut feeling” ex. fear, excitement, vulnerability. These things keep me stimulated, and aware and more often than not, lead me somewhere or to something, even if I don’t reach that initial desired outcome or destination. All that said, now that I have a family, I have to really be conscious of when I’m taking a well thought out, calculated risk or just being reckless. Sometimes it’s a fine line.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a storyteller. On my good days, I write and act. I’m looking to direct a little something in the spring, as well. All the while, I spend about a third of my time back in Texas managing my family’s commercial cattle operation. Having grown up on a working cattle ranch in a rural area, I was my only friend and source of entertainment for a good chunk of my life. This allowed my imagination to be boundless and instilled in me from an early age the beauty and value of nature and the world around me. While my upbringing initially felt like a huge hurdle getting started, now looking back it was an immense asset that I still fall back for inspiration in my work today… My journey has been a patchwork of highs and lows that have led me down many paths to where and who I am at this moment. I walked into my first acting class as a 20 year old kid for a college elective fulfillment and it scared the shit out of me, and I loved it. I needed it. I’ve been pursuing it in some way or another ever since. From there, I traveled to London and was really blown away by the history of the theatre and craft. In London, I had the epiphany that being a movie star and an actor were two very different things and literally anyone could be an actor. I could be an actor. It had never really dawned on me that I could do it as a vocation, until then. So that’s what I decided I wanted to do with my life… kind of. I went back to Texas, dropped out of college and started day cowboying, and working odd jobs while I tried to figure out how to find work as an actor. I worked in small, local, indy projects. I ran around auditioning for community theatre, did a little extra work here and there. There was a freedom to it. I didn’t make much money, but cowboying and acting was the closest I’d come to being really happy and full in my life, until then. From there my road took a lot or twist and turns, leaving the ranch, moving to LA. Sleeping on blow-up pool mats for months in the Valley, being completely broke… more than once. Working my way out of it. Love, broken hearts, evolution. A stint on a drilling rig in New Mexico and West Texas. A few career breaks here and there. Death, birth, partnership, fatherhood, growth, realization… and now I’m here. In many ways it has come full circle. The stakes and scope are elevated, but being a cowboy and an artist are all I’ve ever really wanted to be. So far I’ve been making it work. We’ll see…

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As much as I love to curse the traffic and time it takes to get around LA proper, Los Angeles is a really dynamic and beautiful place that you can find anything and everything you are looking for…

I need space, and it wasn’t until I lived in Venice near the ocean that I knew I could stick around LA for a while. The beach is usually the first place I take friends from out of town. The beaches North of Malibu are some of my favorites. On some of those early morning visits, I’ve seen whales, seals, dolphins along with some of the best sunsets in the evenings. You really do feel like you’re at the edge of the world sometimes watching the sun drop away. The Old Place in Cornell and Neptune’s Net are two solid choices to grab a bite and a beer. I also like to take people down to Manhattan Beach and the South Bay for something a little less isolated. The Shellback Tavern and Ercole’s are good no frills spots I try to hit. LA has great art. From the LACMA and Academy Museum, The Getty Villa, The Pace Gallery, The Broad, The Geffen, MOCA, Hauser & Wirth with Manuela’s downtown. If they like art, we try to hit as many as we can. Damien and Bavel are two of my arts district favorites when we’re there and hungry. Little Tokyo is always standout for real sushi and sashimi. LA has a great climate, it never gets too cold or too hot in my opinion, though I wish it did rain a little more. That being said, the hikes here are not to be missed if you enjoy nature. There is something for everyone, no matter what part of the city you find yourself in. Runyon and Griffith Park (the Observatory is a must as well) if you’re in the middle of the city and don’t mind a little bit of a crowd. Temescal on the West side is a favorite, also Topanga and Malibu have some excellent trails that are a bit longer and less crowded.

For dining, we love Casa Sanchez for Mexican and mariachi on the West side. Gjelina, Felix and Dudley Market are some good Venice establishments. Mother Wolf and Horses are trendy but never fail to send us home happy if you’re in the Hollywood/West Hollywood area.

A concert under the stars at the iconic Hollywood Bowl is always a good time.

We were bummed when the Arclight closed. When people think of LA, they think of the movies. Luckily the Aero, the Vista, and the Alamo Draft House are all good places to catch a movie. If people watching is your thing, then the Venice Boardwalk on the weekends or the shops around Beverly Hills should have you covered. LA has something for everyone. If you can think it up, you’ll probably be able to find it here.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Ahh, there are so many… I try on my good mornings to meditate and roll through a gratitude list. For a while now, at the very top of that list is John Markland and the beautiful group of humans who make up the core of The Markland Studio. John has been invaluable in helping me merge my life and art and let go of the judgement that has plagued me through most of my artistic journey. Working with John has helped me not only find breakthroughs as an artist, but has created an awareness and liberation that makes me a better father, husband, friend and human. I had a very dear junior high English teacher. Mrs. Susan Parker. I didn’t receive much academic or artistic encouragement at home. School was mostly a chore and for sports. I spent most of my time being discipled for some kind trouble or another. Mrs. Parker was the first person to take the time to encourage me on an artistic level. She introduced me to the work of Larry McMurtry and countless other writers. She encouraged me to keep writing and exploring my artistic thread. We recently connected back home in Texas for lunch. She is truly a gem….also, my first acting teacher in LA, the big hearted Darrell Carrol. There’s so many…Lewis Smith who believed in me and helped me when I was on the verge of homeless and without faith in my journey. My talented friend KIm Beuche, who gave me the most profound advice when I first started, “Trust yourself,” it took me a long time to wrap my head around these simple words… and the people who have believed in me through the years, my wife Kelly Nash, Sean Szatkowski, John-Michael Powell, Stephen Sepher, Lindsay Graham and so many more… so much gratitude!

Instagram: travisfarris

Image Credits
Ashley Randall (B/W beard), Cristiano Ostinelli (tux), Morgan Weistling (sheriff), Michael Shumway (muddy drag). *Play stills unknown.