SOLE TO SOUL

The Breakdown

“I got a big ego ha ha ha, I’m such a big ego ha ha ha” Ego Remix – Beyonce ft Kanye West

Actually very far from it.

However, my blog was labelled “one big ego trip” from a reader of my last post Dreamers Never Die. Patrick of Tropical TV said to me, “once you cause emotion in someone then you know you’re doing something right.” And I agree, because I wanted Dreamers Never Die to be thought provoking, I wanted you all to read it and not so much be inspired but recognise that there is a thin line between being a dreamer and being someone who dreams but never achieves.

The person that commented on the post told me that I should, “mind [my] own business and stop worrying about other people.” but I do and will continue to do so. TOLA understood what I meant and in replied “Surely you can’t deny that there seems to be a lack of ambition for any ‘career’ that doesn’t involve being rich and famous, instead of merely being bloody good at what you do, and inspiring others”.

I mentioned a while back about the state of London and how it is rapidly deteriorating but it is not only happening to the structure of London but the people in it. That is the picture I had in mind when I was writing Dreamers Never Die. Everyday I meet people who are working towards their dreams and I see that they will continue it through till the end but there are some who want everything now without the hard work and with no time or effort being put in. I said before I am not the blueprint for success and I am not heralding myself as a leader in achieving dreams as I too say things and don’t act upon them. I realise no-one is perfect but that shouldn’t stop you achieving great things.

So let me break it down.

1. A dreamer is anyone with aspiration, passion and drive. Someone who is working towards a goal and striving to make sure it is fulfilled.

2. There are a lot of dreamers out there and in my experience SOME not all lack that last push to make sure their dream come to fruition. As said before people want the short term option and our not prepared to follow through and wait for their dream to really happen. ”Their dream is short-lived, they want all the rewards now and are not prepared to work for it”.

3. Please note I say SOME not all. This is where I think the person misunderstood my post. Some not all people are not driven enough, I can talk about the people I see around me but I can not vouch for every single one of my peers. I am not labelling everyone one as a non-dreamer or someone who is not driven.

4. The essence of my message is that you shouldn’t let your dreams – die. You should always pursue them, if you really want to attain them, work for them and see them through, don’t do it half heartedly, do it to the best of your ability. Granted it might take time but the end result is more than worth it.

I went to the BF’s Masters graduation last week and as well as other MA and BA graduates on his course BBC journalist and security correspondent Frank Gardner was receiving an honorary degree from the University. He entered congregation hall in his wheelchair and valiantly stood up to talk at the podium. Gardner was shot six times while reporting in Saudi Arabia and the bullet that paralysed him passed clear through his spine. I listened to every bit of his speech as he gave advice to the graduates and talked about how he got his job at the BBC how he worked all the shifts others wouldn’t and his passion for wanting to always be a journalist but the most poignant part of his message was when he said that “perseverance is everything”.

If you don’t take anything away from what I have said, remember this – perseverance is everything.

Dreamers Never Die

“Kids nowadays just getting too lazy, people have stopped dreaming…..” Michael Antolin

What started out as a casual conversation soon turned into one of inspiration and one that I feel is blog worthy.

I met Michael back in May at the second Air Yeezy drop and instantly knew he was a cool guy but more than that he was driven. Micheal was armed with his camera and literally snapping the night away – you could immediately see that Photography was his passion amongst other things. And that was the basis of our conversation the other night – passion and drive and how it seems to be lacking amongst our peers.

It should go without saying that you should be motivated in your life. If you look around you, as I often do, there are things that can get you down or make you doubt that certain things are not possible but we shouldn’t be constricted by our environment and in our present state of life. Whatever we are doing we should always envisage the future, you should always want to strive for better things, you should always dream.

Excuse me if I’m sounding a little too poetic but I’m a big dreamer. Those who know me best, know that I think a lot, and although it can be to my detriment I like to imagine as I truly believe that dreams act as the foundation of our thoughts.

Without sounding too condescending, I see the kids in question and you can just tell that their mindset is solely focused on the here and now rather than the bigger picture. Their dream is short-lived, they want all the rewards now and are not prepared to work for it. It is true that good things come to those who wait, but you have to be prepared to wait, to watch your initial dream grow and manifest into something great. Marcus Troy posted these words a couple days ago and I agree with them, “People say they want IT, but they don’t really want IT. The thought of having IT sounds great, but they’re not built for the work to get IT.”

Many a time I call my Dad when University work and life are getting to me and his words of reassurance are always the same, “No-one said this was going to be easy, you have to work for it doll!”

Working hard for your dreams should be at the heart of everything you do. Just ask yourself this, how bad do you really want it?

I was inspired not only by Michael but also the self proclaimed “bloggers blogger”  William Yan and an email he received called Defining Your Life’s Direction that I feel ties in to what I’m trying to say about being driven in your life and pursuing a dream, “no one is born with and understanding of the scope of their purpose. If you have drifted through life, you may feel directionless. Striving to discover your life’s work can help you realize your true potential and live a more authentic, driven life.”

Michael said he respected my hustle and that really humbled me. I never mean to come on here and brag with what I’m doing and what I have done if anything it should show you that your dreams are attainable. In my quest to get into footwear design but more specifically product marketing I have pursued certain avenues in order to get advice and make a dream come true. Yet, I’m not the blueprint for this, but the formula is simple. Don’t be afraid to dream, to try and work hard because if you want it that bad, you should really go for it. More words from Michael Antolin “its all about acting upon things, if you don’t do anything your not going to get anything out of it and if you put in the hard work now, you will watch your success grow.”

I love Michael’s words because they are true. Some people lack passion and drive and as a result are failing to achieve their dreams. It comes from inside – self will and drive, you should, “take stock of your strengths, passions, beliefs, and values can help you refine your search for purpose if you don’t know where to begin.”

Chipmunk’s song Beast featuring Loick Essien has a great line to sum this up, “If you get that chance then take it, don’t let talent get wasted.”

Don’t let you dreams die!

Paris: Le Quai 54 Part One

Sometimes things just click.

When certain things happen and neatly  fall into place its almost like its meant to be. This is the thought I had when I started planning my trip to Paris. The chance to meet Gentry Humphrey Director of Jordan Brand, watch an international streetball tournament and surprise the BF for his birthday – perfect! Well apart from the fact that I blew the surprise!

Le Quai 54 is dubbed the best streetball tournament in Europe, I’ve wanted to go to this competition for the past two years and it was definitely worth the wait. Greg Tanner once defined streetball as “basketball in its purest form” and Le Quai was the epitome of that, as over the two days I witnessed tough competitive basketball, with some moments of street flair and a bellowing coach from the sideline. Even though the regular season is over, summer is still all about basketball with Midnight Madness starting in the next few weeks, Le Quai 54 definitely set the tone.

Le Quai’s motto was “Bring your name, Not your Game” as teams from Japan, Italy, The Netherlands, America and UK done just that as they played for the title on the asphalt of the Stade Georges Carpientier.

The weather hot and the atmosphere was electric to say the least. I was intrigued to see how the French “got down”. Entertaining is a crowd is not easy, I should know I used to host  but Le Quai seemed more than prepared at half time and after games the MC’s took charge of the crowd. There was a ton of competitions for the crowd to participate and not all basketball related as you will see later, I only wish I understood French as this guy Makobe was making the crowd laugh out loud!

Le Quai was a Jordan sponsored event so it was only right that I dressed for the occasion and it seemed others also followed suit.

As said before I had the feeling like this, me being in Paris right now was just meant to be. I have Jason Mayden to thank for the next part of the story to tell as without him it would not be possible. I consider Jason to be my mentor as he puts me on the right path and gives me crucial advice about how to break into the foot wear industry and while I take advice from him, he too had a great mentor to guide him and that was Gentry Humphrey.

Now for those of you who don’t know Gentry Humphrey is THE GUY over at Jordan Brand. From working his way up to Nike Regional Sales Representative to then become the Director, he has had a input in twenty three most iconic shoes in basketball footwear history.

Now, that may just be my opinion but for those of you who don’t adore kicks as much as I do and are not really into basketball the Jordan shoe is historic because when it was first released in 1985 it broke the convention of a basketball shoe, apart from the fact that it’s initial red/black colourway was banned it was considered a breakthrough because it fused performance with fashion – it was a basketball shoe you could wear off court, as I and many others do even today.

I’m reading a book at the moment entitled Young Black Rich and Famous by Todd Boyd. In a quick overview it deals with the rise of the NBA, the Hip Hop invasion of the 80’s and the transformation of American culture. His main theme is how Hip Hop and basketball interlocked and provided a base for which African Americans could propel themselves into mainstream American culture. Boyd dedicates a whole chapter on what Michael Jordan contributed to the game but also business of basketball. He defines him as, ”one of the most ubiquitous icons ever [because he used the sport of basketball] to become one of the most talked-about figures in the history of American popular culture”. Michael Jordan created his own legacy as his games are still talked about and his shoes are still worn.

Jordan’s footwear success initially stems from a great team of designers, namely Peter Moore and the fact that he was able to bridge a gap between the emerging black Hip Hop culture and the rise of the NBA and therefore create and market the Air Jordan shoes.

It was a major rush for me to go to Opium which is a sneaker boutique in Paris but more so a Jordan Brand shrine. With signed designs by Michael Jordan’s right hand man Tinker Hatfield on the wall, I was in heaven as I stepped through the doors. In awe as I walked around because they had ORIGINAL 1’s, 5’s, and 7’s wrapped up in plastic and some even with the box.

My love affair for Jordan shoes started 2 years ago when I bought my first pair of Retro 1’s, in that same year I picked up some lows and in 2008 I copped some more. The original models have seen a massive resurgence with new colourways and tweaks being applied to the Air Jordan’s to bring the 80’s shoe into the twenty first century. It was great to meet someone with the same passion and appreciation as me. On the second day of the tournament I bumped into a fellow sneaker fan Kevin. What started as a casual conversation soon turned into praise about the whole Jordan line. For near two hours we talked everything sneaker related, colours, dates, prices, styles, stores and more. It’s nice to know your not alone in this crazy world of kick culture!

So………….. Meeting the man who influenced the shoes I love was a very big deal for me.

To say I was nervous was an understatement, I had been planning these questions and the night before I applied some last minute changes. I really wanted to come correct with what I would say to Gentry as his advice was truly priceless and with this very personal to me. What I asked was very career based, what should I specifically be doing to become a credible candidate for Nike Internships and how should I now be building my skills so I could pursue this as a career. Everything I wanted to know got answered. I’m so thankful he took that time to break things down to me. Throughout our conversation my leg was shaking as I was well and truly nervous. We sat court side during half time with the music still playing as I competed with the sound to get my questions across. It would have been pointless for me to use my dictaphone so I relied on my ability to take notes, funny how I mastered it after my second year at University. Reading back over my notes I managed to capture all his advice but the moment can’t really be conveyed through words. This really did mean a lot to me. Gentry explained to me that an essential thing for me to be would network, volunteer and get myself out there. It comes back to making yourself a brand again – especially in the field of Product Marketing it is about marketing yourself and putting yourself out there and getting your face known. My talk with Gentry provided me with a renewed outlook about how to achieve my goal, more hope and even more determination.

At the end of the conversation I couldn’t help but have a smile on my face.

Part Two coming soon.