visual recap: 366DAYSOFKICKS CELEBRATION!
! HEY !
I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR COMING TO THE 366DAYSOFKICKS CELEBRATION!
(It was truly the best day of my life…we’ll see if my wedding day tops it :))
GREG HELTON PHOTOGRAPHY TOOK SOME AMAZING PHOTOS…CLICK THE PHOTO BELOW TO VIEW:
Appendix…366DAYSOFKICKS Year-End Party & Paranorman Raid Auction!
JUST DO IT.
CLICK THE PICTURE BELOW TO VIEW DETAILS RE: FRIDAY’S CELEBRATION.
A LIVE AUCTION WILL BE HELD FOR THESE NIKE “PARANORMAN” AIR RAIDS!
Interesting year-end fact…
4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 44,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 10 Film Festivals.
Day 366/366 – “Hi Amy Jo (AJ). I drew up some AJ sneaks up for you…” -Tinker Hatfield.
Whoa. I can’t believe it. I made it to Day 366.
I can’t even begin to sum up the year. I can say it’s been the most eventful and fulfilling year of my life.
Every day. On the hunt for sneakers. Crouched down on pavement to capture that special shot.
Every day. Meeting new people. Getting to know others better. Hearing stories about their special kicks.
Every day I woke up on a mission. I was excited. I was tired. I was inspired. I was too busy. No matter what, looking back was not an option. Looking forward was the only way to go…thank you to all my family/friends for your encouragement.
Number of times told no = two = number of posts missed before midnight (out of service in a cabin overnight and knocked out on meds from a not so fun dental procedure).
I want to thank each and every person involved with 366daysofkicks. From Dustin at Urban Outfitters in his Nike Free’s splattered with clay from the canyons, to Lynn Quan who brought her autographed Air Jordan 11’s by Tinker Hatfield out of the house, to Brandon Workman and team who created a customized Nike Lunar Racer in memory of a co-worker’s brother, to Lemara Lindsay-Prince who traveled all the way from England to chat with female sneakerheads around the USA, to Marcus Eastland with 1 of 8 pairs who lives the motto: “Each one. Teach one” every day, to the JUSTDOINGIT_IN20PAIRS crew who wore a different pair of sneakers for 20 days straight just because we could, to Tiffany Beers who pulled the glowing Nike Air Mag’s out of a bag…
I’m absolutely sold on the fact that sneakers are SO MUCH MORE than just shoes. They are a lifestyle. A form of expression. A memory. A catalyst. A piece of art. They tell a story. Something to look forward to. They bring people together…
Speaking of that. I am super excited for the 366daysofkicks year-end celebration this Friday. If you’re in Portland…I’d love to see you there. The DJ will set the vibe right. Food and drinks will be available. A talented friend will be selling customized beanies and necklaces. A silent auction will take place benefiting The Monsters on the Move Foundation; a handful of amazing sponsors have donated items such as Nike LeBron X’s, a Samsung tablet, a Samsung digital camera, Jedidiah & The Ivory’s apparel, Art Prints from Vision City and a Monsters of Hip Hop Dance Convention. My favorite (and most talented) of friends from SEA/PDX/LA will be gifting us with 12 performances throughout the evening; from break dancers, to Chinese martial artists, to hip hop dancers and beyond. 🙂 So, lace up your favorite kicks. Grab a friend. Come spend the evening surrounded by great company. For the love of sneakers.
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Alright, here goes…the final post of 2012 – Day 366 of Day 366.
I’ve been asked 50 or so times what my last post would be. I typically shrugged my shoulders, only focused on the next day at hand, with a little bit of confidence that it would all wrap up just as it was meant to. I always had an “ultimate” post in mind (that I rarely mentioned) which involved Tinker Hatfield…the Vice President of Design & Special Projects at Nike. “When you talk about Nike classics, Tinker Hatfield is the first name that comes to mind. Without him we don’t have many of Nike’s greatest runners and basketball shoes as well as the Air Jordan III and beyond. It was Tinker’s vision that helped build the brand to the status it has reached and mentoring the youth that will allow the company to be just as strong down the road—a true OG” (via Complex magazine).
Tiffany Beers, a great friend of mine and of Tinker’s, was kind enough to send a note his way about the wrap up of my year-long sneaker adventure. Tinker replied back with a gem of an image that I will frame and keep forever. Thank you, Tinker. I very much look forward to shaking your hand in 2013. You are truly an inspiration. I can’t wait to get back to work (is it?) to ramp up in my new role in the world of footwear at Nike. I’m ready to make magic.
“When you sit down to design something, it can be anything, a car, a toaster, a house, a tall building or a shoe, what you draw or what you design is really a culmination of everything that you’ve seen and done in your life previous to that point.” -Tinker Hatfield
366daysofkicks is not ending today. It will continue along a “special projects” path…too good to set to the wind.
Farewell to 2012. Helloooooo to 2013! *Cheers*
Thank you all for listening.
Amy Jo Williamson.
Day 365/366 – Today, I met Nick DePaula. Creative Director at Sole Collector Magazine!
Name: Nick DePaula
Hometown: Sacramento, CA • Currently residing in: Portland, OR
Education: Bachelor’s of Science in Journalism – Magazine specifically.
Nick wrote for the sports paper in high school and read the sports page every morning over a bowl of cereal. It was always something he wanted to do!
Nick is the…Creative Director at Sole Collector Magazine. He sets direction and manages all content published in the magazine across multiple platforms — online, print and iPad.
He has the pleasure of conducting designer/athlete feature interviews with icons such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Penny Hardaway, Ken Griffey Jr., Jerry Rice, Bo Jackson, Tinker Hatfield, etc. He reviews all major basketball performance footwear models every season with a high technical voice and an in-depth critical eye. Nick averages about 7-8 main features per issue; one of his favorite interviews thus far was with Penny Hardaway at his home in Memphis.
Nick grew up…with a $40 budget on shoes. His mom upped the ante to $50 once he was in high school, with a ban on Charles Barkley’s shoes because he once called Sacramento “a ghost town.” He memorized all the specs of the latest sneakers by reading every Eastbay catalog from front to back. He grew his footwear knowledge by testing out basketball shoes for Nike during his senior year in high school and first two years of college.
Nick grew up a Kings fan, but it was Jason Kidd’s Nike Zoom Flight 95’s that got him into sneakers. He loved the futuristic design and the way that the shoe looked like it was in motion. Unfortunately, there was a zero percent chance that his mom would buy them for him because of the price; however, he was able to track down the take down version aka the Nike Thrill Flights when they went on sale for $58. Nick chipped in $18 of his own bucks to get them. The first pair of shoes he bought with his own money was the Hyperflight, worn by Kings legend Jason Williams. When he showed up to his high school team’s first practice in a red pair, everyone called him Dorothy.
In college, Nick realized there was a way to link up his debit card to his eBay account. Today, he owns about 17 pairs of Zoom Flight 95’s in different color ways and 13 pairs of Hyperflights. He owns a total of 650-700 pairs of sneakers; scattered strategically around his house.
If Nick could only wear 1 sneaker for the rest of his life…it would likely be the Air Jordan 1.
Kicks on Nick’s feet: Nike x Sole Collector “Penny Signature Pack”: Air Penny I that he designed with Marc Dolce and Penny.
Kicks in Nick’s hands: Nike Zoom Flight 95 – Jason Kidd Dallas Mavericks (L) & Nike Air Hyperflight – Jason Williams Sacramento Kings (R).
Great meeting you, Nick!
(Special shout-out to Tiffany Beers for making this post possible 🙂 )
Day 364/366 – Today was a sneaker shopping day…with Bryan Tanaka!
Mister Bryan Tanaka came to town today which meant one thing…
A visit to the Nike Employee store was a must!
He filled 2 shopping carts in 2 and a half hours. And…was kind enough to gift me with a pair of Nike LeBron X’s. 🙂
Bryan and I met through the dance scene up in Seattle years ago. He’s toured the world as a lead dancer with artists such as Beyonce, Rihanna and Mariah Carey. Teaching workshops. Creating music. Playing with his cute dog, Mila. He’s super awesome and an inspirational individual who truly appreciates the sneakers on his feet. I consider myself very lucky to have friends like him. Check out this dance video he recently posted up!
(Can’t believe I only have two more days to go………..)
Day 363/366 – Great guy. Great sneaks. Meet Esaie in the Oregon Ducks Air Jordan IX’s.
Name: Esaie Witherspoon
Occupation: Global Product Line Manager for NSW Elements @ NIKE
Born in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia … Grew up in MD & Upper NW DC) / Currently living in: Portland, OR
Education: attended the University of District Columbia. Started with Biology; went over to Business Management Procurement.
What makes E…E: music (did you know…he helped put Dream – 2620 Music/Clockwork Ent./Bad Boy Records – together when working for a record label he and his friends created?), quality watches and eating well. His favorite restaurant is his home kitchen. E’s wife is an amazing cook – roasted crab with garlic noodles is one of his favorite dishes.
E’s always been into sneakers as early as he can remember. He had an old tooth brush and old pairs of shoes that he didn’t want to get rid of. His current collection is in the hundreds…one could guestimate under 500. There is no rhyme or reason to how they are organized in his home besides those that are purely collectible (they have their own special spot).
If he could only wear one sneaker for the rest of his life, it would be: any of the Nike Footscapes. They are comfortable as can be with a very unique look.
Kicks on Esaie’s feet: Air Jordan IX – Oregon Ducks PE
Via nikeblog.com: this sneaker sports a very simple color way, featuring black nubuck over the entire upper with silver accenting and Oregon’s O logo in place of the usual AJ9 rubber globe on the heel. A shoe most of the football team wore in the lead-up to the BCS National Championship.
Favorite quote: “Every day above ground is a good day.” 🙂
Day 362/366 – Float like a butterfly. Sting like a bee.
“Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn’t know it so it goes on flying anyway.” -Mary Kay Ash
Thank you home bro for such a sweet Xmas present.
Fact: the Nike Air Griffey Max 1’s (in black) were my first real sneaker love; being a Seattle Mariners fan and all…
Day 361/366 – Pine State All Stars.
Just a handful of entries left (can’t believe it)..this meal at Pine State Biscuits deserves a spot! Absolutely delish!
Day 360/366 – Merry Christmas!
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!
Pictured below is my sister-in-law, Courtney (middle) with her parents, Terry and Bert. Courtney leaked a wise fact that I had to feature on here…her parents refuse to wear all white sneakers…to refrain from looking like q-tips = white hair + white feet. 🙂 They love their Nike’s. Terry said they are the best tennis shoes she’s ever had!
Day 359/366 – Merry Xmas Eve.
Hope everyone’s Xmas eve was merry & bright! 🙂
366daysofkicks 