Today we’d like to introduce you to Hope Bell.
Hi Hope, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My name is Hope Bell. I am originally from Boston, Ma. I always loved my city but always knew I would have to leave to experience life on my own somewhere else. When covid hit me, and my friends decided to leave Boston for 6 months and continue our school online living in Florida. Little did I know that this would be the best decision I have ever made, and it is where my story began. Shortly after living there for a couple months, I met my English boyfriend that had been living in Naples for just under 2 years. We fell instantly for each other and started dating; although this was not the smartest idea because I was supposed to be going back home to Boston, I couldn’t help how I felt. May rolled around, and he told me he was offered a job opportunity in Grapevine, TX, and is considering moving. I supported him but couldn’t help to feel upset because he would move so far away, and our relationship would be over. He posed the question of me moving with him to TX, and I said why not. We packed up all of our things and drove a U-Haul from Southwest Florida to Texas. A 17-hour journey. After a week there, I flew home to Boston and broke the news to my mom. I said, “I met a guy in Florida, I love him so much, and I am moving to Texas and finishing school online.” She was so heartbroken and scared about me moving halfway across the country with a stranger. She let me go eventually, and my life began to start in Grapevine. The first couple months were very difficult for me. We weren’t doing well sharing close spaces, I was feeling unfulfilled with my online school, and I hated living in the suburbs where it was impossible to meet anyone in their early 20s. I started nannying for a family that was my boyfriends’ bosses kids and fell in love. I was happy looking after them while I was in school and close to graduating, but I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life in Texas because I had never pictured myself there, but now, I have to. Those months were the hardest of my life, and I contemplated many times moving back to Boston because I did not think I could adapt missing family and friends. We finally made the move to Downtown Dallas in April, and everything changed. I think as two transplants from Boston and England, it was really hard for us to find solid friendships and a social network because to me Dallas felt very cliquey. Not only this, but when you are a new graduate or just came to the city for work, it is hard to have a social life when you don’t know where to go and end up spending all day at work or just with your partner. As mentioned, this was very lonely, but things began to turn around. I got a job working for a very popular Dallas media agency in January and loved it. I met tons of lovely girls who I could see myself being friends with, but at the end of the day, they are co-workers. I ended up leaving that job in June because there was not a position available for me to grow within the company. I learned many lessons throughout that job and grew to learn more about the city. I went back home for 3 months in the Summer and was avoiding coming back to Dallas because I had just graduated and I did not have a plan or a job in Dallas. I fell into a slump for about 4 months and was really sad about the pressure of trying to find a “serious” job post-grad and I had no interest in that at all. Eventually, my mom came out to visit along with my cousin; many facet times later, I got a kick up the ass and started to make a plan. I joined a local gym which just made me feel better, went back to nannying for the family I used to work for in Southlake and decided to pursue my modeling career, which I had always interest in. I applied to a bunch of Dallas agencies, and just when I was about to give up hope, I heard back from 4. I ended up signing with an agency and now am pursuing my lifelong dream. Balancing nannying and modeling is a fun life, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. Everything happens for a reason, and I have learned to not focus on needing to know my path or my future but to be present in the moment because you never know who you will meet or who will impact your life for the better. I have a great group of girlfriends here, and my boyfriend has met a good group of guys. We have been here for a 1 1/2 years and never knew I would enjoy my new life in Dallas quite like this!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This was not an easy journey at all. I struggled leaving my family and friends on a whim for a guy I had only known for two months and moving across the country.
I struggled maintaining a healthy relationship with my partner with a one-bedroom, long hours, and a new city (suburbs)
I had difficulty having a social life and finding a good group of girlfriends, and pushing myself out of my comfort zone, which took over a year to get to.
Having trouble with my boyfriend and having no friends to turn to made me severely depressed.
The way of life in Texas, I thought I would never adjust and missed my New England lifestyle.
I struggled with body issues and not truly loving myself.
I struggled with career aspirations and not feeling like I was doing well in life because I did not have a big corporate job in Dallas, “and everyone else did”
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a model and a nanny. I have never modeled before until this year, and I am still getting used to the lifestyle. I do not have a specialty, but I am too short for runway, so I have entered into commercial modeling. I am in the process of getting professional headshots and beginning my career, and I am so excited to see what modeling in Dallas holds for me. I am most proud of pursuing a creative career that I have always wanted to get into. Years before it was never the right time, and I was either in college focusing on my degree or not in the right space to pursue it to the full extent. I think what sets me apart from others is my willingness to be better and learn. I have never done any modeling before, so at 22, I am already a little late to the game. I am eager to figure out this way of life and push myself to be better than when I first started.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love how friendly the people in Dallas and the South are. Southern hospitality is so real, coming from the Northeast. I also love how many restaurants of all different cuisines they have to offer in Dallas and there is always a new place to check out for appetizers, drinks, dinner, or dessert.
What I dislike about Dallas is the lack of public transport. Maybe it’s Texas in general, I am not sure, but it is very much a car-focused city, and the walkability of it is almost existent. I believe they built the city around the focus of cars and not people.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeviictoria/
