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The Art of the Sneaker with Ad Sneaks - Patreon Sneak Peek
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We just hit 10 Patreon members and to thank you all, I hit up my boy AD to pull up to the pod again! We talk about the journey to dropping a book. He addresses some of the comments he has been getting on his journey. We talk about some of the amazing cool things he's been able to see and do just because of sneakers! Plus a ton more!
Full Episode on Patreon: https://patreon.com/MyFirstKicks
Follow AD: IG: https://www.instagram.com/AD__Sneaks
Buy his book: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Sneaker-Function-Through-Collector/dp/B0FLTP9QNP
Podcast Linktree: https://linktr.ee/myfirstkicks
Intro & Outro by Sango: https://www.instagram.com/sango_/
Backing Music by The DoppleGangaz: https://thedoppelgangaz.bandcamp.com/
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Transcript
Introduction and Remote Recording Challenges
00:00:00
Speaker
What's good everyone? Welcome back to My First Kicks. This is the Patreon episode and this week we have a d Andy Dunn back on the podcast this time in a in a in a not a not in person uh video and back to how we started dude yeah exactly i'm reverting back it's bad the podcast has gone bad actually um i mean whether you know i couldn't fly out to new york uh you know you were trying to get me out there you know you're rolling it so yeah yeah yeah look
00:00:34
Speaker
With the help of the Patreon, ah you too can help your boy fly out AD maybe like, you know, once every other month to pull up to the podcast.
Travel Experiences and Patreon Support
00:00:45
Speaker
It's only $5. Once every other year.
00:00:48
Speaker
Yeah. And I'm just like, ah Southwest? ah Let me see. a Frontier Airlines. No bags, man. You're just going to come in, do the episode, and you're out after. Immediately after. um But, man, you know, you've been cooking. You've been cooking crazy. ah something You haven't done a podcast ah just in general. You haven't done a podcast ah appearance in a while. But you've got to experience, you know, the Bad Bunny in Puerto Rico. Like, like,
00:01:19
Speaker
We got to chill at ComplexCon. Like, bro, we did it. we you Last year was crazy, man. Last year was nuts, dude. Last year was nuts. This year's even more nuts. Like, every month something's been coming up. so But it's good. You know, nothing but blessed and happy to be able to go places, see people, talk with
Reflecting on Events and Experiences
00:01:37
Speaker
people. And, yeah, it's been fun.
00:01:40
Speaker
Yeah, man. Yo, know Paris? Paris looked like a time, man. like It's crazy because I've had a ton of conversations. I'll tell i'll say this. um i was talking to Joe Freshgood about like is he going to do Paris? and And he was just like, nah, man, i don't do Paris no more. And I was just like,
00:02:00
Speaker
I was just like, well, he doesn't say that specifically. Sorry. I didn't, you know, that's not what he said. But he said, but I was making a comment to him about Parish Fashion Week and he was in and how somebody said to me, it's like the complex con of fashion out there now.
Paris Fashion Week Adventures
00:02:18
Speaker
And I don't know if you got that feeling. Yeah, I mean, but it's just not all centrally located, right? Like ComplexCon, all under one roof, pretty much, you know, except for like, releases, you know, here and there. But I mean, it was my first experience doing that. And I mean, it was cool. Everyone's like, Oh, how was Paris? Did you get to see all the sites? Did you get to do all that? i was like, No, not really. Because we were like,
00:02:41
Speaker
bouncing around to like showrooms, checking out, yeah ah you know, what different brands and stuff are going to be cooking up in 2026. And then, um you know, talking with people, had a few interviews out there and then um helped Phil and Unheard of, you know, with the imagery for their upcoming Piggy Runner.
00:03:00
Speaker
ah So we were just busy, man, just going all over the place. And then the last day we were there, we got to do a little sightseeing, you know, i got to see the Eiffel Tower because, you know, when in Paris, got to see the Eiffel Tower.
Culinary Opinions in Paris
00:03:12
Speaker
um did you get to go up but no it was well we got up halfway i guess in the winter they don't let you go up all the way to the top because like i guess the elevators freeze or like i don't know but that's crazy imagine being frozen up there bro at the tip top you're like oh elevator's frozen you cannot uh come down until it's thawed out it's like okay we're stuck I better break out you better break out a a hair dryer or something. Be like, nah, man, I'm not staying there, bro. I'm coming down. Yeah. No, but it was cool. Paris is cool. I mean, winter's winter is winter. I've always heard, at least from some of the people that have out there, that June is the best time to go to Fashion Week. So if anyone goes out, like go June because it's June. you know a summertime. like It's nice. yeah Winter wasn't too bad, but Paris was cool.
00:04:00
Speaker
Nah, yeah. but So I was talking to my homie too about this. um And he said, and this is the craziest thing that I ever heard. i was like, I can't believe that. And it made me want to go to Paris even more. But he was like, he'd been to Paris Fashion Week. I think he went two years ago. And he was like, the food there is trash. And I'm like, the food there is trash.
00:04:20
Speaker
Nah. Nah. Like, i've i've heard I've heard it's either or. Like, there's always been like, yeah, it's all right. Like, either people say, no, the food's trash. Or people say, yeah, the food's great. I thought the food was great. I mean, not like anything, like, amazing tasting. But what was nice out there is you eat something and you don't feel like garbage after.
00:04:40
Speaker
Like, we we ate at, like, this burger place. And it was really good. i had like this cheese sauce on it. My goodness. If I would have ate that here, like would have been hurting the next day eating a burger like that out there. i was like, no, I'm good. Like it felt like.
00:04:54
Speaker
didn't sit as heavy in your stomach. So yeah I don't know what they do. Maybe they got different food regulations out there.
Launching a Photography Book
00:05:00
Speaker
I mean, here in America, we we don't got the greatest food regulations in the world. So ah maybe my stomach was just like, oh, this is what real food tastes like.
00:05:09
Speaker
Hey, look, but look we know we know America has nothing but, well, not nothing, but there's a lot of processed meat out here. Yes. You know, and that stuff just sits crazy heavy. And i don't, I don't, it's,
00:05:24
Speaker
like When I go to Brazil, and the last time I went to Brazil, like when I had food out there, and I was like, this is amazing. like the taste It tastes different. it totally like what out of Outside of the United States, it totally tastes different.
00:05:38
Speaker
Yeah, just I feel like you know the preservatives and like all that stuff, they're Maybe just things are fresher. I don't know. But yeah, my stomach was happy you know when we're out in ah we're out in Paris.
00:05:49
Speaker
Yeah. things doing Speaking of fresh, you blessed me with the art of the sneaker. Yes, sir. Your photography book. I think it might be showing up backwards in this video. But um we I remember, you know we got to talk about we were when you told me, we were all sitting around in in Portland.
Becoming a Best-Selling Author
00:06:13
Speaker
in the Airbnb and would turn to us, me and Aaron, and you go, yo, I got a book coming out. And I was like, what?
00:06:25
Speaker
Dude, that, that trip to Portland, like a lot of things just kind of came in like boom, boom, boom. Like when we were on that trip. So I guess like, you know, coming to the, like the sneaker mecca there, like things just manifest, who knows, but the sneaker gods, the sneaker gods were like, yeah, we got to bless them. Okay.
00:06:44
Speaker
But no, definitely talk about like the process because, i mean, look, you one, now you're a bestseller. You're a bestseller. In eyes. We'll count that.
00:06:59
Speaker
what was that What was the field you're you're a bestseller in? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I sent you i think I sent you the like the Amazon screenshot. It was like yeah number one in like... fashion and photography, new release books. There's only like three books. So it's like, yeah, we'll take that, you
Creating the Photography Book
00:07:15
Speaker
know? Yeah, look, look, man. Yo, win is a win, man. You know, isnt and it's technically not a participation prize because you're one, you're published. you your Your name is there. It literally says your name and in in the sales. And you it's you're literally number one. So come on.
00:07:36
Speaker
That's that's it You know, and even though the field may be small, um you know, at least I'm getting a medal. We'll just put it that way. There's not many guppies in the pond. All right. But you are the big fish. All right. You are the big fish. yeah It was ah it was cool um going about that process. So like funny thing about it, speaking of manifesting. Right. Yeah.
00:08:03
Speaker
So I had the thought for a while. And, you know, some people message me here and there on, like, social media and stuff. and like, it would be really cool to have, like, some of your images printed way, way, like, a couple years ago.
00:08:13
Speaker
um i did, like, individual prints and sold those. It was, like, and whatever with that. But I was, like, yeah, it be cool to put it in, like, a book form. And then
Sneaker Stories and Book Content
00:08:22
Speaker
I was researching online, like, best ways to do that. You can find, like, those websites that will allow you to upload and, like, do all that stuff. But it's not, like...
00:08:31
Speaker
I don't know. it's kind of It's kind of lower quality stuff. It's very DIY. Yeah, very DIY. I have one. Yeah, I have like, it's like those websites that you can go on it's like you upload an image and you can put it on a coffee mug, a t-shirt, a mouse pad, you know, prints. And like it's like just upload a picture. You can put it on anything you want. So, you know, the quality is not going to be there. Yeah.
00:08:58
Speaker
So there was a, let me tell you a real quick story. I was a small stint. I don't think I've ever told you this small stint. I was, I took a photography class and the, like I doing this photography class. And then the final project was to make a book.
00:09:12
Speaker
And so I decided to do concert
DIY vs. Professional Publishing
00:09:15
Speaker
photography. And I made a book. I still have the book. and I'll show it to you one day. Or even after this. I need to see this after this. Yeah, I'll show it to you. But it's so funny. I i did it. like i have a hard I have a hardcover book of like my photography in it. And the the grade I got on that was a B. Yeah.
00:09:41
Speaker
problemta i like yeah Hey, man, look, we're both, we're both, this is one author ah talking to one sneaker photographer, what one, one photography author to another photography author. You know, it's a great, great conversation. But, but yeah, keep going about the process. Yeah. Yeah. We'll definitely talk about the process, man.
00:10:01
Speaker
Well, the process was cool because ah like like you said, kind of the DIY, you know, upload your images, get a photo book in the mail kind of thing. That's cool. um But like actually doing it through a publishing company was a whole different experience. So ah publishing company, Familius, shout out those guys. They've been fantastic with the whole ah process. They're the ones who
Professional Publishing Experience
00:10:23
Speaker
initially reached out to me. um I had no idea like who to reach out to or anything. So it just kind of like happened, right? Like they, they emailed me, um, we got on some zoom calls and we talked things through and, um, you know, went through,
00:10:39
Speaker
I don't even know how many images I looked through thousands, right? I've taken a lot of photos and trying to fit all of the ones that I really wanted in like the number of pages that they were giving me and all that stuff. That was hard.
00:10:50
Speaker
um But they made the process super easy and they got like a whole marketing team. So they're like, yeah, you just worry about like, getting stuff in the book, we'll handle everything else. We'll send like any design tweaks or anything your way for final approval. And like, we'll talk to people and, you know, bookstores about getting it in there. like, oh, that's nice. So like, they definitely took a rookie who has no idea what it takes in making a book or publishing anything like that and made it super, super easy and in a fun process.
Role of General Releases in Sneaker Culture
00:11:21
Speaker
not I mean, that's dope. like I want to know the thought process behind the selection. like because you take You have taken so many freaking pictures, bro. like like You post every single day. You're posting 10 plus pictures day, right? Or 10 pictures a day. right like or ten pictures all like Yeah.
00:11:39
Speaker
Maybe, maybe that may sometimes it's like three, four, but you know, I post it every day. i post a lot of pictures. I take pictures every single day. um Right. And the, I mean, trying to narrow it down to the ones I wanted in there.
00:11:53
Speaker
um i obviously wanted them to be like some of my personal favorite pictures, ah like just the way that the image turned out and everything. But then I also wanted to incorporate some of like my personal favorite shoes or ones that have kind of like some, you know,
00:12:07
Speaker
favorite meaning to it uh the one that's on the cover the the concepts far out one that's the one that i bleached um and that one was fun because like yeah that shoe's special to me because like yeah that shoe's fire but then once i like bleached it i was like wow this turned out incredible i put pictures right yeah and then like d on pointe reached out and he was like yo that looks fire like the way that you did that and you shared like some insight about like some manufacturing and material issues that they had and the denim was supposed to look different um but anyway it was just cool because he gave me kudos for doing something like that and uh so that was like a cool moment so i was like oh yeah that was like a cool like sneaker moment for me so i want to put that moment on the cover of the shoe and then fill it with like
00:12:53
Speaker
pictures that I love and also pictures of like sneakers that I love. So there's not there's not words. I mean, I have my my author's note in there. That's right that's all I wrote because I'm not a ah writer.
00:13:05
Speaker
um And then what? What about the captions? You write so many captions, bro. Yeah, those those captions. You're right. I do write those captions. You got to consider for the next one. right Maybe that's what we do.
Social Media's Impact on Sneaker Culture
00:13:15
Speaker
Maybe that's what we do is we, ah you know, I get like, you know, I got the picture and then I got the caption. the picture and I got the cap. Maybe that's the next book. Book two. Book two. the What would you call it? the The art of the cap the sneaker caption?
00:13:27
Speaker
The art of the caption. I don't know. The name is a work in progress. We'll workshop To be determined if opportunity happens. Yeah. I'm sure the way I mean, bestselling author, you know, bestselling sneaker photographer, author, they're definitely going to hit you up and be like, yo, we got to run this back. Those are going to be the exact same words. I don't know who you're speaking to on the phone, but they're going like, yo, we got to run this back.
00:13:55
Speaker
We got to do it. I don't know why I came. I all of a sudden I had a Donald Trump is ah impersonation. Yeah, that was a little weird there. um Just from Utah. Don't assume things, bro. okay OK, it's going to be huge. We're going to run it back. But but I mean, look, you know, because you a little bit of a.
00:14:19
Speaker
ah moving the curtain a little bit, but like you definitely said like you'll be sending me the the captions that you're thinking about writing and stuff like that. um and You recently tweeted that grss if you don't if you only have GRs... If you only have Hype Sneakers in collection...
Foundations of Sneaker Culture
00:14:39
Speaker
Then wait, wait, what was the tweet? It was like, if you, if GRs, let me see, it was like, let's if, uh, if you don't wear or own any GRs, you love hype more than you love sneakers.
00:14:50
Speaker
Exactly. if There's a caveat to it. So I posted something prior to that. Um, and then I, and then I quote tweeted myself with that one. Cause what I posted prior, um, was that GRs are the foundation of sneaker culture.
00:15:03
Speaker
right and i said you agree or disagree and uh you know most people agree with something like that and uh you know if we didn't have these these base shoes like the shoe that like started so say like air max 95s are hot right now right if that shoe was not designed first then you wouldn't have all these collaborations on the air max 95 the cortis i'm on one year um and all these things and uh So like, if you don't have the GR, then you don't have the collaboration. And most people when they start in this like, in this culture in this community, they fall in love with just a shoe. It's not this like crazy like cause Jordan for that they got for their first shoe. Maybe there's someone is who did that like I'm not judging. I mean, but like i think I think that's definitely more of a 2016 and up type of thing, I want to say, right? Yeah. like I can definitely blanket that era of, so like, people getting into sneakers is more because of that.
00:16:05
Speaker
But, like... the older generation or the OGs or the people that been collecting for a really long time or have a fatuation sneakers in general or just like sneakers, they always come from, yo I got this plain color. But like, I definitely think In the boom of 2016 and the 2000s and the height of collaborations and the exclusivity and the club that we all created, was a secret language. They made it like this thing where it's like, yo, my first pair is a Ben and Jerry now, you know?
00:16:42
Speaker
Yeah. And, you know, and to think about it, too, like I look back when I first fell in love with sneakers and it was when I was able to walk into a footlocker and see what was there, you know, and there was just like this aura around like, you know, these uptempo 97s that I saw on the wall or like these Jordan 13s that I saw on the wall or like the answer for that I saw and like all these shoes that weren't collaborative shoes, they were just fire like basketball shoes at the time.
00:17:11
Speaker
But as a young kid, like, that caught my attention. That air bubble was, you know, looking beautiful. All the things that you would see on the wall. But then, i mean, that was pre, like... internet days when people were posting stuff about footwear on the internet. And I feel like since sneakers has kind of come from like that, you know, mom, pa shop or footlocker East Bay magazines and transitioned into this like online space, that's definitely brought a lot more awareness to sneakers.
00:17:39
Speaker
And since more awareness is there, what's going to like captivate a wider audience are these collaborative projects. Right.
Reasons for Collecting Sneakers
00:17:45
Speaker
And that's why you see every single week, there's a collaboration drop in every single week, multiple times a week.
00:17:51
Speaker
um with all these brands and so like i'm not i'm not knocking anybody who doesn't have a gr in their collection or anything i'm just saying like nowadays like exclusivity or the hype of a collaboration is more appealing to like a newer generation of of sneaker collector um than some gr that's been sitting on the wall for a while yeah because they No, no, go ahead.
00:18:15
Speaker
No, I was gonna say, because because they because they want they want that thing that's exclusive. Because in today's, like, you know, social media driven age, like, exclusivity is king. Like, if you have anything that's exclusive, like, that's going to set you apart from somebody else.
00:18:29
Speaker
But, like, back in the day, you know, you you go in, And it wasn't about like setting yourself apart from any anybody else. You just wanted a fly a pair of kicks um just so that you could feel good.
00:18:39
Speaker
And then maybe maybe, you know, flex on your friends at school a little bit like, yo, check out these Air Max's that I got or check out these Iverson's that I got. Like, yeah, you feel good about yourself that way, but nowhere near what it is today.
00:18:52
Speaker
I mean, once one sneakers really took a mainstream liking, I think the like we're now in this weird divide where people are really trying to stake their claim and that they know more so about sneakers than the next person. and Or they know more about what is you know hype and what isn't than the next person. um I responded to your tweet and, you know, I didn't get as much love as the people that were bickering with you about it. But I said that ah if you if you like hype sneakers, it's more of a...
00:19:30
Speaker
it's not it's more of a you It's more of an insecurity problem than it is a sneaker problem. A sneaker thing. Because now, you know, we've always talked taught ah ah talk about how people buy themselves into this versus actually being of this.
Sneaker Community Dynamics
00:19:46
Speaker
And who the barrier for for being a sneakerhead is extremely low. right You just gotta love sneakers. like Clearly, that's all it is. And um and so It's hard. and And, like, you know, it's crazy because, like, even when we talk about the Portland trip, when you think about it, like, like there was no part of that.
00:20:07
Speaker
Like, anybody in there was being like, oh, I like sneakers more than this guy. Like, you you know, like. No, not at all. Like, that's.
00:20:16
Speaker
Yeah, dude, thats that's the thing is like, it's just come like, like, it's just a weird, weird phase, not even phase, like just a weird time where people feel like they have to like stamp, like, I've been in this for a while, like, I am an OG or, I love sneakers more than the next person because of this, this, this, this and this. It's like,
00:20:35
Speaker
Why are we trying to like rank each other like where we sit in this, you know, this community of sneakers, these things that we love, like, there's no hierarchy. We're all consumers, right? Like we all buy shoes because we love the shoes, or some people buy the shoes because they love the hype. um some people buy the shoes because they want to resell the shoes like there's no hierarchy in this um like we all are buying shoes for different reasons um and i think where the divide comes is like the reason uh behind why we buy it is it to resell is it because you love hype is it because you love the sneaker game like where is it and i think that's where we get the discourse online is uh you know just because someone appreciates sneakers in a different way than you um then that's cause for contention
00:21:20
Speaker
Yeah, the I mean, the the way that like I've last year, I feel like I've gotten every I think I literally have a 360 view of how sneakers work. And then even, you know, with our conversations to like seeing how people really attack you, ah you know, for all your you make your a teacher, you make. So, you know, how do you how do you able to afford these sneakers and um you know And then my my little you know here and there, I get i get ah get a little flamed here and there or whatever. um
00:21:55
Speaker
And then you know seeing and interacting around people with people in New York and and going to Portland and going to ComplexCon, I feel like I've had this 360 view of like who really... i'm This is going to sound crazy. But who's who really who whose opinions, I guess, really matter to me, right?
Nostalgia in Sneaker Collecting
00:22:14
Speaker
like There was this moment...
00:22:17
Speaker
There was this moment when I was early collecting, right? It was always like, you know, we i i used to go to Soho all the time just because I wanted to, you know, break next. Literally, i would go to... Well, of course. Yeah. I flex a little bit.
00:22:32
Speaker
Yeah, right. And um like that feeling it's so hard to have now because unless you're in a room where everybody else understands like the lengths you'd have to go to to get that shoe.
00:22:48
Speaker
it kind of doesn't break necks anymore. it kind of loses that mule. Like, like i I haven't been, so unless it's like somebody who's already wearing something else that's dope, like that's happened to me, where somebody's like, he's like, yo, those are fire. And it's mostly, to be honest, most of the time it's a GR that's that happens to me. Yeah, yeah.
00:23:05
Speaker
And like and then I look down, and I'm like, yo, you're wearing some fire, too. i'm like, oh, yeah. And then that starts something. But it's so rare now. Before, it was like, you know, I wear some, some i mean, because we all know Nike SBs were always super limited, especially in New York City, because barely had any skate
Internet's Influence on Sneaker Collecting
00:23:21
Speaker
shops. So I'd always cop Nike SBs, you know, buy, sell, trade, get them on NSB.org. And I'll be like, you know, I'll go to i'll go to Soho. And then people will like, yo, those is crazy. I didn't even know those come out. Yo, that feeling? Yeah.
00:23:35
Speaker
and Yeah. can See now now like and it was interesting. And I'll tell you this because like I was at All Star Weekend in L.A. Right. Like you walk around some of these these venues, these events, it's like there's a union. There's like there's this kid collab like you see collab footwear on everybody's feet. It's like, OK, everybody's wearing heat. You know, and it's not like you just don't see that anymore because everybody's wearing the same like high heat footwear at some of these places and some of these events to be noticed, to be seen.
00:24:05
Speaker
um You know, I had some stuff out there that was pretty good, too. But the one pair that I wore that like got compliments when I wore it. Nothing special. just my black Royal Jordan 18s. I wore those people like, Oh, eighteens I remember it. Like that was the conversation started instantly. Right. It's because that's like kind of an, if you know, you know, kind of thing. It's like, Oh, everybody knows about this collaboration. Everyone knows about these hell star. These is coming Everyone knows about these unions coming out Everyone knows about these undefeated is coming out. Like everyone has those.
Brand Collaborations and Content Creation
00:24:34
Speaker
Everyone knows those. There's no knock to those at all. But like,
00:24:38
Speaker
it gets to the point where like some of these collaborations are becoming so like generalized. That's what we expect people to wear and consume that these GRs and like these these pairs that maybe like not everybody has in their collection become like, what are those? Like that's the curiosity. That's the the conversation starter.
00:24:59
Speaker
Yeah. And I mean, like, look, cause we can, we can peel the, the onion back on this. We in a Patreon now. Uh, but like, where you know, it's, it's, it's interesting when brands send us stuff and most of that, you know, nine times out of 10, it's going to be a collab, right? They're not going to send us a GR, you know? And it's like the, the selling point of that, like we're getting in front of the people that that follow us and we're, we're like, yo, you know, this is dope. And, and,
00:25:29
Speaker
And it's never been like, a hey, we've got this new model coming out. We want people to have them. you know like Like, that's more of a more recent thing. And it's because of the people that are in these positions, right? Like, Peter Veri sending me the new GTS 10. It's a simple colorway that's to be everywhere. Yeah, Peter's the GOAT, for sure. And it's like, you know, he blessed both of us with ah with those. and it's And it's like, you guys have to see this shoe. And I do think it gives us more of a chance to kind of, like,
00:26:00
Speaker
It's more of a blank canvas versus like, you know, something that will get a collab shoot. Now we have to tell the story of the show.
Unexpected Sneaker Encounters
00:26:08
Speaker
You got to you know, like this gives us more of a chance to be like, you know, ourselves with it.
00:26:13
Speaker
Like as cool as it is to like hear stories, um you know, and dive deep and dig deep into some of these projects and figure out some of the metaphors and the things about it. I i still love that about projects and people that do that really well, like still hits home every single time.
00:26:29
Speaker
But like you said, like those GRs that come, it's like, Maybe it doesn't need a story out the box, right? and Maybe it doesn't need a story behind the design. Maybe that story comes from when you put it on or the more you wear it, like maybe you like talk to somebody like, oh yeah, the designer of this shoe like chose these colors because of this, this, this, this and this.
00:26:47
Speaker
Like it's not a... It's not a published story about the shoe that everybody knows. It's just like, you know, these little nuances and those little nuances, I feel are like, at least for me personally, that's what like I enjoy about sneakers is figuring out those little nuggets like that. Or like, even those, those GTS is the Peterson out. Like, I love that, that midsole on those things too. It looks like that foam,
00:27:11
Speaker
like yeah and it's super light too man yeah i don't know what they did to that midsole but it's like it's completely different than like any other of these like mesh runner like midsoles i'm like okay they did something different here like this is fire and you know that that kind of excitement excitement doesn't need to be necessarily layered in these deep metaphors excitement can just be like yo that shoots fire um yeah and that's it I remember when I got my... so I think it was like three either two or three... No, I think it was two complex cons ago. JD Sports... gate like I won like a free pair of sneakers from JD Sports. right and This is why I big up JD Sports. because
00:27:51
Speaker
one thing and i i had a clip where I was talking about JD Sports with BDOT and about their GRs because... Like, I haven't, I've never, I've never gone into a football game and be like, yo, they got those, those colors crazy. Right.
General Releases vs. Exclusive Collaborations
00:28:04
Speaker
But I've walked into the JD sports several times and been like, yo, this 95 is fire. Or like this nineties are crazy. And it's like, where is these type of opportunities? Right. Like they're yeah outside. Oh, outside of,
00:28:19
Speaker
The Saucony, there was like a Saucony that came out specifically for Foot Locker one time. And I think like it was like a purple and bluish one. um It was very dope. It was the Omni 9. It was like, but it was only, it was like a Foot Locker exclusive. Yo, if anybody's on this Patreon that that works at these brands.
00:28:42
Speaker
Yo, do like legit Foot Locker exclusives and then give the Foot Locker exclusives to the people that make the content. Because I feel like that's got that's that's a ah way better selling point than being like, yo, you can come get the new Jordan 8 Bugs Bunny. Like, we know people are going to always go to get that, you know? um Like, that's a shoot people are always going to get.
00:29:06
Speaker
Yeah, even your your recent work with the Foot Locker Hoka video that you made, that was fire. Because I was like, oh, I've never seen that that model Hoka. I mean, shout out to the Hoka team. But like I've never seen that model Hoka. And like you you made it
Experiences with Hoka Sneakers
00:29:20
Speaker
look... I was just like, okay, maybe I might have to you know see ah see a little bit about those. you know Well, that's the thing, too. Like, even hokas, like, I haven't ah worn a pair of hokas since, like, pandemic time, dude. And during the pandemic, because, you know, we were all chilling, not knowing what to do with ourselves. Before that, I was like, i want to run a marathon. Like, that's what i was training to do. i was like, what shoes are you training in? Everyone's like, hokas, hokas, hokas. So I got a pair of hokas. Couldn't tell you the model to save my life. Yeah.
00:29:47
Speaker
But then I started running and doing all that stuff. And then like I did a half marathon. i was like, OK, I'm done running. This isn't for me. And then fast forward to like where we're at now. Like this is the first pair of Hokus that I've had since that time.
00:30:00
Speaker
And like I've seen what Hokus been doing. um They've been doing some good stuff in the lifestyle category. And like I get these in, I was like, these are actually
Challenges in Content Creation
00:30:08
Speaker
pretty fire. Like yeah man super simple, the mesh details, like all that stuff. And and they're comfy. I was like, okay, I see you, Hoka. I see what we're doing now. um And I think that's all it takes sometimes. ah Again, back to what we were talking about is just like you hold a shoe in your hand, you put it on your feet and like, wow, this looks good.
00:30:27
Speaker
I feel good in this. Like my feet feel good. Like it's a gray shoe. yeah Like we don't need to overcomplicate things. Yeah. um I definitely want to touch on, like, your thoughts on, like, you know, we talk about your captions. um And I'm curious of, like, why do you feel like people aren't reading them?
00:30:46
Speaker
I don't know. I mean, it's that because I ask questions in those captions sometimes. I mean not like I'm not I'm not shaming anybody, but like. when when I personally scroll on social media, like, if it's a long caption, sometimes I'm not going to read it. Sometimes I don't want to. um Like, we look at the image and, like, oh, that's fire. Like, yeah fire pigs. Like, those look stellar. um So, at least for me, like, the long captions aren't so much, like,
00:31:12
Speaker
ah you know, a priority for other people to read or i'm I'm expecting other people to read. It's more so for me just to get my thoughts out like that I was thinking about when like I wanted to post pictures of these shoes because like, yeah, yeah I want to I want to share like the images, but I also want to share like my thoughts for the sneakers as well.
Authenticity in Content Creation
00:31:29
Speaker
And I'm not one for reals. Like I can't like I don't know, dude, I have a hard time talking to myself to a camera and I'm just like five words, pause, crap. was I say again? remember what was going say. And I don't want to be like note cards like, uh, what do I do here? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, I'm not going to do that.
00:31:47
Speaker
iPad. or ipad yeah or ipad whatever man whatever you got your script on um i ain't gonna that that's just not not how i want to do things um but yeah i it's it's fun for me to to write and because that way i feel like i can be more intentional about what's going on in my mind instead of like because some things read uh or sound better they don't sound when you read i guess but some things sound better when it's written right like words just look better and sometimes things flow better when they're written instead of when they're spoken and so for me it's just able i'm able to like slow down and really gather my thoughts type things out how i want to type things out and and it makes sense that way instead of fumbling over my words and cutting my video every five seconds just to make a cohesive video you know yeah i don't i mean you know i've said this several times on the podcast but i can't be a content creator like you know it's tough like i think it's such a hard job like i think you like i don't you have to have the brain for that like i have a friend who does you know he streams he cuts his like he makes he comes up with clip like he comes up with his clips people stream man kudos to those folks it's crazy yeah i've tried that as well and that's it's hard I could probably do it. I could probably do it per game, like a game, like per game, but I couldn't do it every single day for like eight hours. Like I can do and be like, yo, I play this game.
00:33:13
Speaker
Now, every time i I sign on, I'll play the game and I'll talk. I'll talk. And then that's it. But like eight hours of streaming, I can't do it.
Balancing Content Creation and Life
00:33:22
Speaker
I can't do it. No, no. I feel like I don't have anything of value to save, you know? Yeah. Yeah. I like sitting alone and there's like like not talking for like a long period of time. Exactly. like I've had people like, yo, why don't you do live or something while you're taking pictures? like Because I don't want to. I don't want to talk while I'm doing that. like I just want to listen to music or listen to nothing and just be in my zone and just chill. you know I don't want to be constantly like trying to entertain people while I'm trying to like do something for myself. you know
00:33:55
Speaker
yo but you ah But people aren't thinking about it like this, right? like When we talk about this, it's like you have to... You are living many different lives at the same time. So like... Goodness. You know how... you know like What was it? there was There was somebody that says like, you know your father goes to the bathroom for an hour because that's the only time he has for himself. And so he takes every single minute that he can. And there... yes.
00:34:22
Speaker
When they, when, or like, Oh, um, your father would, would pull up in the driveway and sit in the car for like 15 minutes because he knows before he in the only house. Yeah. That's the only 15 minutes peace you'll have. Right. So like, uh, going beyond that, like, cause like I, I literally spend my day mostly just talking and then I'm talking on a podcast and then I'm hearing myself talk cause I'm editing episodes and I'm like, so to think about being like, all right,
00:34:49
Speaker
Let's make a video real quick about like
Social Media Interactions and Content Reception
00:34:51
Speaker
this. Yo, it's ill. It's like, I'm sick of talking. I'm sick of hearing myself. like Like, y'all might want to hear this, but I don't want to hear myself anymore. um Yeah, my people around me be like, you don't you don't say anything anymore or whatever. And I'll be like, yeah, because I've said everything. I'm saying, say I'm saying, I got all my words out. I don't have any more words left. There's definitely, there's, you know, there was, i did three episodes in a week, right? backto Back to back to back, right? Oh, I remember when you did that, dude. You were cooked. Yeah. Yeah.
00:35:23
Speaker
I did. I did. and This was Deshaun Jordan, whose SB is coming out. Shout out, Deshaun. I think it was. Very excited for those. mean, yo, I can't wait. i've been but I've been texting him and being like, yo, please, can I get them? yeah Hook a boy up here. Yo, for real. I did three episodes and I'm forgetting. I'm blanking. My bad. And I did them back to back to back.
00:35:47
Speaker
And by Saturday, my partner turns to me and she's like, she's like is everything okay? you like You haven't spoken for like a hot minute. I was just like, i was like I'm good. I'm good. Poured all my words out the picture. like There's nothing left in there.
00:36:03
Speaker
Man, I was cooked. But, damn, I lost my train of thought where I was at. But I think it's just like, when we're talking about your caption, I think it's just like, ah like,
00:36:14
Speaker
ah the way that you're, your're this is like your therapy session, right? Like just letting it out. You're just like letting it out. And I think that that that's dope and more people should should definitely get into Because I remember back in the day, I don't know if you had free, a live journal Zanga or like, know. Man, what was the one that I used? It was some app like on my early iPod touch.
00:36:36
Speaker
Like, man, yeah, i used to I used to write some stuff down. I used to keep like an audio journal too. And I don't know what happened to all that stuff. You better find that man. Somebody has your deepest, darkest secrets. Oh, my gosh. Or they're just gone. Let's definitely talk about the these comments, all
Handling Misconceptions and Curiosity
00:36:53
Speaker
right? like i definitely want to know, like because because the the whole, like, oh, this teacher must be getting money. you know he's got you know like You get this every time you post pictures.
00:37:04
Speaker
And obviously, it's annoying. um But, like... How do you deal with it? Besides sending it to me. yeah I deal with it now by replying back. ah Have y'all ever seen Breaking Bad before? yeah that's That's my go-to reply to it. it's like just to You got to kill it with humor a little bit. but yeah i mean I'm not going to knock anybody because people are curious. right yeah um and Maybe someone has never seen like something that I've posted before online and doesn't know like what I do. But like
00:37:39
Speaker
you know like i'm very fortunate to be able to like not only have my teaching job, but also uh, have my side hustle of, you know, product photography and sneakers and I've been able to make some pretty good money doing that.
00:37:51
Speaker
So like that supports the sneakers and, uh, you know, and now we're at a point with all of that too, that it's like, man, I got so much stuff now, uh, that I can like, if it's not something that I'm wearing, like my wife helps me list it like on Facebook marketplace, I'll come up and buy it. And then that's money that you just roll over into something else that you want. And it just like,
00:38:14
Speaker
Yeah.
00:38:17
Speaker
i like I mean, I'm trying to get into into that, to be honest. I don't know. I have such a problem of letting go stuff that, like, if you look behind it, like my wall of like shirts and stuff like that is just like I need to get rid of shirts that I don't wear, you know, like I don't know.
00:38:34
Speaker
I don't know how to let go. I, you might have to walk me to, you have to walk like through me. It's for me. It's like, I don't have space, man. It's like, man, I'm running out of space. Like, okay, get this one, get this one. Which one do you like more? Which one have you worn more recently? That one's got to go.
00:38:49
Speaker
Like, unless it's like something super sentimental, then like, I just got to let it go. Cause there's always new stuff that's going coming out i'm Like, well, that's fire. I want to see what that's like.
00:39:00
Speaker
Um, And even if it's something that's new, like I'll wear it. And it's like, OK,
Managing Sneaker Collections
00:39:05
Speaker
this cool. But if I haven't worn it in a while after that, it's like, no, we got to move on, make room for the next. And I think, like I know it's all individual, like how many sneakers people think of like you know ideal for a collection. um But that's like for me, i don't even know how many I have at this point. It's got to be pushing like 250, 260. And that feels like way too much.
00:39:28
Speaker
And i'm looking to like just just taper it back a little bit like my shelves are full. Now I got boxes stacked up on the floors. And it's like this is what at what point does it.
00:39:40
Speaker
go from like collecting to hoarding. And so it's like, I want to, I want to be able to hold on to things that I truly love and I truly appreciate, but also at the same time, like I want to keep a number that's just like, that's manageable.
00:39:54
Speaker
You got to keep a number that you can, you still make your, what is it? How many days of sneakers that you wear in a row at school? And I don't know how many school, at least 180. So you have to, that's your number. You can't go below that number anymore.
00:40:06
Speaker
You have set the precedent. That'll be fine. We'll be good. i felt like, you know what would be crazy? And I don't know, maybe I'd have to like pull some strings, get some people with brands to help out or, you know, donate to the cause. If it was like 180 brand new pairs of shoes every single day the entire school year, that would be much. But you have to send them back.
00:40:27
Speaker
Yeah, but I'll send it back and donate them or something like that. So it wasn't just be like, man, look at this guy. He's like, peak American consumerism, right?
Funding Content Creation through Patreon
00:40:34
Speaker
Oh, man. Every single post comes with a link to you can buy this now, like right at the bottom. Oh, gosh. All affiliate posting. Could you imagine? It's like, dude, that would be the lamest thing ever. That is peak sponsored content, bro. That is like. Oh, my gosh.
00:40:53
Speaker
You too can sponsor my my sneakers my sneaker rotation of the week by hitting up my email, ad at theartofthesneaker.com. And no no no knock to what you're doing with Patreon. It's like, if you want to see what I'm wearing next week and donate to the cause, like join the Patreon. Only drop in there. know It's like...
00:41:14
Speaker
at what At what point are you just like, you know, scheminging scheming, scheming and finessing people out of money just so that you can flex like that's that's pretty shady. Hey, man, look how long it took for me to start this. Like, I was so afraid of feeling like I was grifting. Right. And now I do like it's different, you know.
00:41:32
Speaker
is I mean, but still, it's just like we come we're in this community um that I feel like they look at at every chance to kind of like try to knock someone down. and Yeah, you're not of the purest form. yeah you know, like SLA, he says, he was like, I'm of the cloth. He said that on ah on Seth Fowler's podcast. And was like, going to start using that too. Like, because it just sounds mad funny. But... It it's it's ah it's a it was like a it was a a like a battle I had to like get over because once I started putting my own money into getting into the studio and stuff like that, and i've been paying you know for the hosting stuff and equipment for years. So I was like battling myself like, oh
00:42:22
Speaker
the podcast itself should be free and then everything else, you know, I'll put it behind the wall. That was like my justification. um And now I'm already contemplating and being like, you know what? I should make like 30 minutes of the podcast free and then the rest, you know, you got to watch it behind the wall because- Yeah, because because it's expensive to get in the
Authenticity vs. Financial Support
00:42:41
Speaker
studio. you know like They up my prices, and and and i mean this is full transparency, like but like I do have to take into account because the one thing that I've i've been battling was like the acceptance of of funding your hobby,
00:42:59
Speaker
and or funding funding your passion right because like i mean you should i'm sure you go through it where you're like you know oh do i buy the next camera up you know or do i spend this money to go on this trip and it's like you know it's a crazy balance or you're like an idiot like me and and break your laptop and then like you gotta buy your laptop or you drop your camera yeah yeah dude that was that was terrible Like I've dropped i've dropp my camera. I had to buy a new camera because I dropped my camera. That wasn't like, you know, I got to level up my game. I got to level up my passion. it's like, no, I need a camera. Mine's broke because I dropped it and I'm an idiot.
00:43:38
Speaker
I dropped a C-Stan on the screen of my computer and I got to edit pictures. So it's like, no, this is not me trying to get your money to like fund my passions. Like I need this. Like this is a necessity at this point. But, like, that's what I'm saying. But, no, I think with, like, your Patreon stuff, like,
00:43:57
Speaker
I think people at this point in like what you've done with the podcast and everything, um like they're invested in you as a person and they want to see you succeed and they want to see you grow as a person. And this is just a way that they can support and help you that way. It's not grifting. Like, I mean, we're, we all have imposter syndrome. Like we think we're doing stuff for the wrong reasons, but like deep down inside, you know why you're doing it. And deep down inside, I know why I'm doing what I'm doing. Cause it's what we're passionate about.
00:44:21
Speaker
And you know, but it's like, and trying to get support that way. I think it works well for your podcast.
Motivations Behind Content Creation
00:44:29
Speaker
i think But I also think it's just crazy because like you do we do get... so Not equal. I was going to say equal backlash. But like we do get backlash regardless, right? and Oh, 100%. We both preach. yeah and we both preach you know We do this out of love first, right? And then the rest will follow. And...
00:44:49
Speaker
When you see people that are not like, you don't want to call it out, but you're like, you're like seeing how far they can go with doing it with just like greed is fueling them. It's really hard to kind of like justify being like,
00:45:03
Speaker
Do I got to be like them? Like, you're just being like, you're kind of like, you're like, yo, I love this. Like, I don't want to take this. Like, I'm not going to, for example, I'm not going to, you know, if I was in your position, whatever, it would be like, you know, i'm not going to take a picture of fake sneakers in order to get, you know, ah the X amount of views. Internet clout.
00:45:23
Speaker
Yeah. I'm not going to buy an early pair and spend way too much on a GR to like you know get the get the internet clout that's out there. you know Yeah. And that's like there's no not to like to that. like you know No. I mean, people do that. There's different intentions and different motives. And we don't know people's motives. like we We superficially judge um what people's motives are. Because the same people that have a problem with content creators, they post content.
00:45:49
Speaker
um So it's like what what are we even
Role of Authenticity in Content Creation
00:45:53
Speaker
talking about here? So I think at the end of the day, um think what rings true for a lot of people into sneakers is like authenticity. and And that comes across like you can't hide and you can't fake authenticity when it comes to sharing things online. And, you know, people notice that and see that with what you do with the podcast. They're not seeing that like, oh, Haas trying to like replace complex sneakers and Haas trying to like do all this with the, with the, with his podcast. Like,
00:46:22
Speaker
Of course, those things would be nice, but like that's not your goal. Like this is something that you've been doing. I mean the first time we talked in this situation, like where you were in your place, I was in my place. Like, what were we aiming for then? We were just sharing a passion. yeah we and And that motivation and that foundation is still there. And so, yeah, you can't you can't fake authenticity.
00:46:45
Speaker
Nah, yeah. It's just funny when you when you see people call try to call other stuff out, and it's like it's like, I don't know if I should, like, I don't know if i' like people waste their breath on some of this stuff, too. um Or, like, you know, picking a bone with you, for per se, and call you a culture vulture out of nowhere when you've been nothing but, like, true to this from the jump. Like...
00:47:10
Speaker
You know, like yeah it's it's people, people are just misinformed, man. Like they, they, and it's judgment, right? Like people judge something because it's, you know, for whatever reason, something struck a chord, um you know, with them to feel like they need to you know,
00:47:27
Speaker
Spout off or subtweet about like this or that because they saw this thing and and they don't understand the full context, but they just think that they do. And it's just like, man, like, why, why do we get in this place where we feel like we need to call people out instead of like, try to understand their motive and like where they're coming from.
00:47:47
Speaker
i mean I mean, I would like to answer that question. I think it's just... ah Rhetorical. It's easier to judge. No, I'm answering Oh, 100% it is. I think it's just easier to judge, man. You know, like, people... people this is this is I blame a lot of this on reality TV, right? we've gotten Once reality TV started really coming into the zeitgeist of...
Judgment and Authenticity in the Sneaker Community
00:48:10
Speaker
like what is going on. Like we were just being able to judge people's lives, like full on lives, like a season, a season of somebody's life. We were able to judge it right at, from the comforts of our home.
00:48:24
Speaker
it immediately trickled down to the internet because now you're, now you get to when the invention of Twitter came or like even, you know, the statuses on Facebook, like people who were like, yo, you seen this, this teen moms is insane. Like her life is a piece of crap. Like you're just like,
00:48:41
Speaker
from the comforts of your home and you look around, you're probably living it in the trailer. Like you're like, this this is what, you know, it's a lot on chair quarterbacking. Yeah.
00:48:52
Speaker
It's a lot easier to pass judgment when you have zero insight into the person's life. Right. Um, you know, you You definitely are in the spotlight in a certain way. And like I said earlier, I just think like the soonest you get to a certain point, people, there will always be people that'll be like, look, they they hate looking up. And it's like, but we we never told you to look up. we're We're all supposed to be in this together. Like, you know? um Right. Right.
00:49:20
Speaker
And like, I don't I didn't put myself up here compared to you. Right. You put me up there like I'm just normal and I'm just doing my thing like anybody else's.
Longevity and Consistency in Creation
00:49:30
Speaker
And that's like, at least for me, like I refuse to pass judgment on anybody unless I absolutely know like where they're coming from and the motive behind whatever it is they're doing. Like, I'm not going to just pass judgment by what someone says online in a tweet or, you know, post a video. It's like, oh, this person's an idiot.
00:49:50
Speaker
uh i can't stand them because of the way that they talked about this sneaker it's like you took 30 seconds and you made a full like synopsis about who this person is and like yeah where they come from and like the kind of person they are the kind of values they have it's like no like you gotta you gotta to take time to like get to know people before you can pass judgment I mean, I always say, like, people need to give more grace, but, like, we live in this world where people are so short-sighted that it's, like, really hard to even convince people to do that, right? And so...
00:50:22
Speaker
Like, I mean, we're also we're also motivated. We're also motivated by the algorithm to to be judgmental. Right. Like any time you pass judgment or have a hot take online, what happens?
00:50:33
Speaker
It blows up. Crazy. Right. Yeah. You go crazy. We are conditioned. We are conditioned to think that way and communicate that way because we're rewarded by it, by likes, views and clicks. And like, gotta you got to you got to see past that, man. You got to see people as a human.
00:50:51
Speaker
the The way that like I'm trying even like put this into into words, but like the way that like we have decided to like move through this is is something that I always call it in my head or like when when I think about it and especially all the conversations we've had, like I think about it more of like longevity. Like there's no way that you can look at from the beginning or like the beginning to now of like, we've ever wavered in terms of like authenticity. Like we've never jumped on something just to jump on it. And I think that creates longevity, longevity right? Because when you do something for the algorithm and I've been, I've had several, kind I have several angry conversations that have been yelled at me about this, but like when you do something for the algorithm, know,
00:51:45
Speaker
I say this again, you're an Uber driver. You're just trying to get, you're just trying to get picked up, man. You know, like you're just trying to get that, that passenger in the car of the algorithm. And so,
00:51:56
Speaker
It's if you're just continuously doing that, you're only going to get short, short, um a short amount of love instead of just continuously.
Genuine Community Engagement
00:52:05
Speaker
You know, i think I think I think what you have been able to build going you your flowers because you've been giving me nothing but flowers back. But what you have been able to build with your captions, with the way that you move, with the way that you know, you're you're inviting and the way that that people. really resonate with you is something that breeds for a long like career in this right like and i think nobody can match up to that because in a 360 view of things people have felt that you are part of their lives and and not like in a
00:52:40
Speaker
oh my God, this is like my idol type of thing. But like, you know, like it's, it's, it's some, you are somebody that people get on, on, on Instagram and look forward to seeing from, right. That's like the, the friend you're always looking to hear from, you know, and I think, I think that is invaluable.
00:53:01
Speaker
Well, I mean, again, i think it's like I try to like I never understood like people who find like online success or success in anything that feel like they're more than, you know, somebody else.
00:53:14
Speaker
Like we're all human, um especially in sneakers. Like we all love sneakers. We all appreciate them differently. So. Why am I not going to take the time to talk to you know, someone about like sneakers or photography or whatever, um just because they have less followers than me or just because they have less like skin in the game than me. and It's like, no, they're curious. They want to know things like that's that's the essence of humanity is connecting with each other.
00:53:39
Speaker
um But if we put these, you know, these statuses in front of who we are, um then we're limiting the connections that we can make. And um I feel like at least on social media or in like photography or content or podcasts or whatever, if you're like,
00:53:57
Speaker
your Your character um is more important than your work, in my opinion. um Like if you're a good person and you try to take care of people and you treat people well and you're kind and respectful to people, that's going to speak louder than any work that you do, whether you make like the most fire videos, or you have like the coolest podcast, you take the sickest pictures. If you're ah not a nice person, if you're a terrible person, like that's what people are going to see and not the work side of everything. You know, i don't know if that makes any sense.
00:54:28
Speaker
No, it did. I think. and But that's the that's the thing, though. It's like we've we've heard so many horror stories of like somebody meeting their favorite favorite celebrities. That's why we have the yeah the term ah don't meet your don't meet your idols. Don't meet your heroes. Yeah, don't don't
Self-Worth and Personal Validation
00:54:45
Speaker
meet your heroes. My bad. But because you don't want to be let down of who they really are.
00:54:50
Speaker
And it's like, but if they were genuinely a nice person or a genuine person in front of Jump, it it's fine. Like, you know?
00:55:04
Speaker
Facts. Like, it's it's just funny. Like, just, I don't know. At the end of the day, like... you know, sneakers are dope. Sneakers are cool. And I posted about it today, basically saying that like,
00:55:15
Speaker
you know We're encouraged not to seek external validation you know and the approval of other people. But that's human nature, right? That's how you connect with people. um That's how you become friends with people is because like in some form or way, like your behavior is validated by their behavior and it's just reciprocated back and forth. And that's how you you know create these bonds with people.
00:55:36
Speaker
um But I think where it gets twisted is that we we think that you know that validation uh is is what defines us as a person like the more people that validate what i do that means what i'm doing is good or what i'm doing is is you know the right thing or what i'm doing i'm really good at um but at the end of the day in sneakers we just all want to express ourselves um put a version of ourselves out there in the world uh that we're proud of and i think that like that validation
00:56:08
Speaker
um that we get from other people is cool. But the validation that you get from yourself, like doing what you love, taking care of your family, you know, wearing whatever sneakers you got, like you put on a fresh pair kitchen, like, you know, these are fire. I feel great. I don't even need to post a picture online. Nothing like you just go out and you feel like a million bucks because of what you're wearing.
00:56:27
Speaker
You can't talk that. Like, I don't care how many likes and comments you get online, like that natural intrinsic validation trumps everything.
Validation and Self-Worth in Sneaker Community
00:56:36
Speaker
Nah, yeah. The idea, I mean, and we talk about like validation. Validation is such a i a topic that always gets brought up a lot, but um selfworth self-worth is mainly the thing that needs to be brought up more because I think if you're relying on other people's validation to make yourself feel worthy, then...
00:57:02
Speaker
that's the the hardest that's the the hardest truth you'll you'll ever realize that like you don't need other people's validation you just need yourself's val your own validation and your self-worth needs to be validated by other people so like if you think you're doing your damn thing, other people will too.
00:57:22
Speaker
be And that that validation is the actual real validation that people should be yearning for because it does help you propel forward into doing more positive things around you. Because I do feel like...
00:57:35
Speaker
Seeking validation is such a ah ah destructive thought because you're you're going to continuously try to get you're going to cont continuously try things in order to get that that validation in any form, right? We always know about the class clown, which I'm sure you have to deal with sometimes in class, right? Oh, you know Bullies, you know people that are just like mean. And the reason why is because...
00:57:59
Speaker
their self-worth is so low that they're like, if I can, you know, look like a God in somebody else's eyes, I'll, I feel better. And it's like, i mean, you deal with kids all the time. So it's like, right. They're not going to understand this thought, you know? Yeah. Like so self-worth, self-worth,
00:58:16
Speaker
isn't doesn't come from like being above somebody else it should never be that way like self-worth should just be comfortable being you in spite of where everyone else is at in the world and you know that's where uh where's you know self-expression and self-value all that stuff comes in like it's got to come from within not from like on the outside perspective everything i we we're going deep philosophical stuff on this episode but um Hey, man.
Leadership in Sneaker Culture
00:58:41
Speaker
This is what we're here for, it to be honest. Yeah, I mean, i mean i don't even know what I was going to say anymore. i lost my thought, man. I'm old. No, it's good. i But speaking of that, especially like validation and stuff like that, recently had a conversation on Twitter um and it deals around like leaders and, you know,
00:59:02
Speaker
being a leader within the sneaker space, I've been thinking about it a little bit more. um Like, what it what does it really stand for now? Like, who are they? Like, du it does it matter? That's the most important question, I think, with that. Does it matter? Yeah. ah But, like, I responded to Jazz, former guest Jazz Array, about, like, she kept asking, like,
00:59:28
Speaker
ah Who is a leader? What is a leader within this space? Right. And. you know, my tweet was, I'm paraphrasing it obviously, but like my tweet was more around like, uh, just a person that moves something forward or moves this culture, this community forward. Um, it's not somebody that can be self-proclaimed and it's also not somebody that thinks of themselves as being higher than everybody else. Right. And so for sure wait when, when,
00:59:59
Speaker
It's fun. This is, this is it because this is going to bring this full circle. So i was just recently on and MSR um with my boy, Adam Butler. Check out that podcast. It's a great podcast. So he, he was like, he really asked me a question. like, have people hit me up, like looking for my opinion on stuff? And I told him no. Right. um And I think when you're a leader,
Exploring Leadership and Impact
01:00:23
Speaker
then people will reach out and be like, hey, can I get like, tell me what you think about this, right? So that episode, it it happened after the the tweet with Smooth, shout out Smooth, um and talking about Jay-Z and and the Reebok thing, and people were saying she was wrong, and I was in there, i retweeted it, and I'm telling people that they're wrong because she's trying to call out that Jay-Z was ah the first, like,
01:00:56
Speaker
person to do a collab, like a legit collab with a brand and it was Reebok. And I'm like, this is this is for Reebok. like Like, this is the first legit collab Reebok, right?
01:01:06
Speaker
And i I reread the tweet. She was saying any collab. So i was like, I was, i was like, Oh, ah yo, I got, ten I, yeah, I got text messages and a phone call. um Oh boy. Yeah. About because I retweeted it. And so I think back to what I initially said to Jazza Ray and then also that conversation with Adam Butler on MSR. Adam Butler and Pete and Paul. And, like, i I'm like, maybe I am somebody that people come to. Because, like, and I'm pretty sure if people come to you for a lot of things. You know? You do have a following. And so the importance of, like,
01:01:55
Speaker
Like, obviously, we're not going to call ourselves leaders because we're not that type of person. We don't have crazy egos. But the people that do have egos will be like, you know, they need that acknowledgement. They need to know that their impact is being felt.
01:02:08
Speaker
And yeah the constant battle of like understanding, like. what a real leader is, is probably the most insane thing that we can really think about because nobody who's anybody that's moving this culture or the community forward is never going to be like, Hey me, I got the phone
Rethinking Leadership and Influence
01:02:30
Speaker
call. I'm the one i got the, I got the text messages. I'm the one, you know, like called me, phil yeah me he you know, ah he, he promoted me to sneaker leader. that's That's where we're at right now. Bjorn and Adidas, yeah, we're good. Like he said, I'm a leader.
01:02:46
Speaker
ah I'm in a group chat with Phil, Bjorn, and the president of Saucony, and they all the agree. The thing, too, and I don't even think I like the term leader because it gets political, right? like It's like...
01:03:01
Speaker
taste makers, you know, people um who curate the culture and curate the community and and move it forward in a positive way. Like there's, i wouldn't necessarily call it like, like leadership because there's no like formal position for it.
01:03:16
Speaker
And so I think like we can all, and it's, and I feel like it's different for everybody. Yeah. And all comes down to our individual taste and sneakers. Like we look up to people and we look to people are like, yo, I like the way they dress. Yo, I like that shoe. I like the way they styled that shoe.
01:03:31
Speaker
um you know, I like the way that they, they present themselves. Like I want to be like that. Like that, those are the kinds of people that like move community and culture forward. So if collectively a group of people can identify people like that, even without even saying who they are, like people will be like, yeah, I want to do stuff like
Influence and Impact in Community
01:03:50
Speaker
that.
01:03:50
Speaker
um That's, that's what moves. That's what I feel like moves the culture forward is like, it's not necessarily someone that's like, yup, in my, in my bio here, like I'm a leader in the sneaker community. I've, I've started this, this, this, and this. It's like, No, like, are you are you helping people and guiding people forward without even intending to help and guide people forward in sneakers?
01:04:11
Speaker
But I also think that like, see, and I want to touch on impact because like, The thing is, people throw this word around so much now that it's like, we have lost the real meaning of impact.
01:04:26
Speaker
And it's not it's not like something that is tangible. But people have been trying to make it tangible for so for so long, especially within sneakers. Like...
01:04:38
Speaker
people be like oh yeah you're influencing me to buy the sneaker now your ah your impact is felt and you'll be like that's not impact like the the impact is like if i if i got you to create your own sneaker maybe but like you know i influenced you to pick up a design job like that's impact like i change that's changing somebody's life you know right yeah the yeah no no go ahead No, no, no. I think like, yeah, just like you said, like impact, impact is, you know, it's individual, right? Like, don't know. I like sports. So it's like,
01:05:18
Speaker
growing up as a young child in the MJ era, MJ had impact, right? Like yeah every kid wanted to be like Mike. um And then you get the heated conversations today between the old heads and these youngers like, well, LeBron has impact. Like everyone wants to be like LeBron. It's like, well, no, MJ had more impact. And it's just like, why are we arguing about this? Like,
01:05:38
Speaker
Impact is individual. Like some people might think Jordan's a goat. Some people might think Kobe's a goat. Some people might think LeBron's a goat. But at the end of the day, all these dudes are moving basketball forward. And so it's like, why why do we get in these arguments over who's impacting who and who does what and what status someone is when like collectively ah all of these people who have influence in sneakers are moving it forward?
01:06:03
Speaker
Yeah, it man. I don't know.
Cultural Contributions and Authenticity
01:06:06
Speaker
I don't know. If somebody ever comes to me like, yeah, which I have heard, and you are one of these people as well, have said this to me. But... Host the mayor. Yeah, my god, man. You gotta pay to hear that. Only Patreon people can hear. You clipping that posting that on IG. Hell no.
01:06:33
Speaker
But I think it's... I just like... what what i've What I've happened to build is oh um something I felt like was missing, which was a conversation, like an actual conversation, not like plot points and hype moments and, you know, talking about specific sneakers, you know, like that.
01:06:54
Speaker
what i've i What I've always enjoyed was people's journeys. And so, yeah, it's it's crazy to see. how much of my, I guess, quote unquote, impact has changed the landscape within this and what is possible. And I mean, you you should definitely see that too, because I mean, bro, like, you know, we have seen your impact literally and the your influence on other people has definitely...
01:07:21
Speaker
propelled sneaker photography into a place where you can have your own damn book man like it's crazy like you you got to understand that like and it's the same thing when i look at like 520 podcasts getting an adidas you know an adidas uh deal right like when a sneaker photographer picks up their for their i was gonna say photography gear but their camera um called yeah their camera they do have hope and uh that they can one day have their own book and i think that you know you have to look at it like that because they're you know there's gonna be days where people are gonna be like oh you know somebody puts out a book and they're gonna be like oh yeah he's you know he's just copying ad and you'll be like bro
01:08:10
Speaker
You know, there's influence everywhere, you know like it's fine. like You know, there we always talk, we always come back to like the perception that people try to build around like, you know, and create hierarchies of like, oh, no, this person did this and this, they did that first
Legacy of Past Sneaker Icons
01:08:27
Speaker
and do that. But it's just like, but if we all do this together, we can all do more of it.
01:08:33
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, like we're we're just lifting everybody else, man. Like, and that's the thing is like, you know, people again, it all comes down to like, you know, how we're judging other people or how we're doing things like, I could feel a certain way if I see someone copy something that I do, but I don't because like,
01:08:51
Speaker
That, like, how how we all learn is different, right? Like, we learn by, like, when you're a little kid hooping in the driveway, whose fadeaway are you mimicking? You're mimicking MJ's fadeaway, right? Are we copying MJ? lj Sure, I guess you could say that. But no, we're trying to improve our craft by doing what the greats have already done, you know?
01:09:10
Speaker
i don't know, man.
01:09:14
Speaker
The way you snubbed Larry Johnson, bro, that jumper was fire, man. Freaking Larry Johnson, dude. I will say his shoes were fire. didn't really care much for his game, but. I'm going to send you some highlights after this. Nah, you can't play my guy, man. Larry Johnson.
01:09:33
Speaker
Grandmama. Grandmama, Hit the, hit the. What did he do to
Personal Anecdotes and Experiences
01:09:39
Speaker
you? did he did he Did he not? You met him, and he and he did not sign your basketball.
01:09:46
Speaker
Or it's like you watched that Shia LaBeouf Channel 5 interview. Yeah, how about a little bit? He might he might Mike Piazza'd me. No, I'm kidding. Yeah, I watched that part. I told the... i told the i Yeah, LaBeouf's all like, yeah, like I was out there like game after game after game and Mike Piazza never signed my autograph. I hate you, Mike Piazza.
01:10:08
Speaker
So I told myself I'm not going to be like Mike Piazza. Yeah. then So I responded to that because it was on threads. And that's the reason why I hate the Yankees. Because Derek Jeter, I ran into Derek Jeter, and he rolled his window up on me. And at that point, I was only like 50-50. So I was like, I'm cool with the Yankees, and then um I'm cool with the Mets. And I was already starting to go to like Mets games for a little bit.
01:10:37
Speaker
And then I was like, oh I'll go to a Yankee game. Just like I was waiting for my opportunity to go to one. Derek Jeter did that window roll up and it was fucked the Yankees ever since, buddy. I was like, nah, I ain't doing that. Hell no. That's funny. Hell no. That's funny how that works, man.
Closing Remarks and Appreciations
01:10:52
Speaker
um But everybody know where to find you, man. Where to cop the book. You already know. um You can find me on Haas' Patreon on this episode.
01:11:03
Speaker
ah Man, I always feel so weird saying this. You can find me on IG. You can find me on Instagram. AD underscore sneaks everywhere. Just search AD sneaks. You'll find it.
01:11:20
Speaker
I'll be there. if you want If you haven't already ordered my book or pre-order it, like, um If you buy it now, it should get to you by March 24th. If not, then you can wait until March 24th and buy it. and ah It's good. it' it was It was fun. I really enjoyed it, and it's been fun to see people get it in hand and and enjoy it, too.
01:11:38
Speaker
Nah, man. Yeah, you've done amazing things. Like I said, you're giving other people hope, man. You're inspiring others, man. Like, that's huge. And so, you know, you know where to find me. Who is hot social media, blah, blah, blah. You're on the Patreon, so you obviously know where to find me. Thank you. Thank you for you're on the Patreon and they don't know who you are. Yeah, exactly. How bad happened? Yeah, exactly. Appreciate you.
01:12:06
Speaker
And until we get another 10 patrons, oh, wait, wait, we might do another AD episode when we get another 10 because it takes took me a while to get this 10. we'll do We'll do like AD and Aaron same time.
01:12:19
Speaker
That's it. And it'll just grow. It'll grow every 10. But, yeah, you know, we say each week, everywhere don't forget, wear your kicks. Peace.