I’d like to start today’s article off by clarifying its tone and subject matter: This is 100% a personal piece. It’s not an op-ed. It’s not a Top 10 list. It’s not an informative history lesson. It’s not a Starting Five (even though we’ve had several great ones grace these pages in the past few weeks).

This is just me, Ross, looking back over the last four years of my site, KicksOneTwo. Now is a time for recollection and reflection, as I relocated to New York this past week to work as a junior editor for SneakerNews, a brand that I’ve loved since I was a Jordan-obsessed 9th grader working at Champs Sports who always paired his kicks with oversized tees and baggy basketball shorts (I really thought I was killing it too).

The new job doesn’t mean that KicksOneTwo is getting shut down permanently … it just means that there’s going to be significantly less content on these pages, as my energy will now be focused on creating fresh original content for SneakerNews.

I’d have never thought when I started KicksOneTwo as a way to share what I knew and thought about sneakers/street culture as well as save my sanity (I was working an awful office job at the time) that I’d be afforded an opportunity like this. I also didn’t know how much I’d learn about hard work, perseverance, and the creative process when developing content, even when I wasn’t feeling the slightest bit creative. I just did it because I love sneakers, I love street culture, and I love writing. It’s really as simple as that. KicksOneTwo was, is, and will continue to be (albeit in a diminished role) a labor of love.

So I’m sharing what I learned over the past four years of running KicksOneTwo here with you today. I’d assume that many of you, the KicksOneTwo family, engage in creative pursuits, and no matter if it’s writing, music, photography, fashion or something else entirely, I support it 100% and want to help you succeed and thrive in your chosen creative field. The best way I can do that is by sharing what I know and what I have learned … so I’m going to do just that today. If any knowledge that I’ve gained over the course of running KicksOneTwo can help you in any way possible, I’d be thrilled. Let’s get right down to it.

Hard Work

Sneaker in Charleston, SC. One of my favorite stores I’ve ever visited. 

A creative pursuit isn’t always just a fun hobby. If you want to get good (and stay good) at your pursuit  no matter what it may be, then you simply have to understand that there’s a lot of hard work involved. It’s not rainbows, flowers, accolades, and affirmation all the time. There’s many a long day and a sleepless night, even if you think what you’re doing comes easy to you. Creativity isn’t a switch you can just flip on and off whenever you see fit. There are times when passion can be challenged. Then, discipline and hard work both prove to be pretty useful companions.

When that creative switch is in the “off” position (which I can guarantee will happen to you sooner or later), you’ve just got to force yourself to get that work in. It’s not fun or easy … but something that’s truly worth doing isn’t always going to be easy. Plus, if you can make yourself push through the dry times, then the good times will be even more fruitful. Your best work will usually come after your worst bricks. The more work you do, the better you’ll get at what you’re doing. At the end of the day it’s really that simple. Plus, watching the average quality of your content improve is one of the most gratifying feelings in the world.

So just shut up, put your head down, and get that work in. Trust me, you’ll be glad that you did.

Perserverence

Zach Lavine and Andrew Wiggins at TCSAX 5

If you can combine hard work and perseverance, then you’ll be truly unstoppable. The two do go hand-in-hand to some extent, but it’s easy to work harder when your work is recognized or instantly reaches a wide audience … and that’s not something that’s going to happen right off the bat. You might make something that you feel is really dope and it doesn’t connect with people the way you wanted it to. I’ve been there. It sucks. I know.

No big deal. You can be upset about it (spending time analyzing your thoughts is healthy as long as you don’t overdo it), but after that the best thing that you can do is just keep on pushing. Persistence and perseverance WILL pay off. Plus, it’s that much sweeter when you succeed if you’ve failed a few times before. You learn more from failing than you do from succeeding (that’s a fact), and whatever you’re shooting for might take years … but if you keep pushing, you’ll get there eventually. As an added bonus, basking in the salt of those who doubted you is a glorious feeling.

A good friend once told me “you’ve gotta have the bad days sometimes to be able to appreciate the good ones,” and that’s resonated with me ever since. Fight through through the bad days and the doubt from others and keep working hard. The good days are much closer than you may think.

Developing Content

WhyKhaliq performing at TCSAX 7 

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about developing content, it’s that inspiration for articles strikes in the strangest ways, at the strangest places, and during the strangest times. Always be open to ideas, and always listen to what people have to say. You’re never too good to learn something from someone, no matter who they may be and who you think you are.

If you keep an open mind, you might be inspired by something totally random that you’d never think would give you an idea, much less an idea that you can translate into fantastic content. Some of my best KicksOneTwo articles have come from random conversations completely unrelated to sneakers with people who don’t know the first thing about them, and some have come while I’m spacing out in the shower, letting my mind wander wherever it may.

So heed this advice and keep an open mind, an open ear, and an open notebook (you can use the notes on your phone if you’re not the pen-and-paper type). You never know what you might stumble upon, and you want to always be ready to capture that inspiration when it strikes.

What strategies do you use to fuel your creative process? How do you cope when you’re feeling creatively stymied? Sound off in the comments or hit me up and let me know on Twitter! The more open dialogue we can have on a subject like this, the better. Let’s help each other out. We’ll all win in 2018.

–RDwyer

The post What I’ve Learned From KicksOneTwo appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

Hey, I’m thrilled that you’re here. I’m looking forward to bringing you my thoughts and opinions on the culture that I love so much and providing quality content. A little background on me: I’m 26 years old, and have been collecting sneakers/obsessing over streetwear for over a decade (since I was 15 to be specific). If I could only wear three shoes for the rest of my life they would be:

• Air Jordan I’s

• Vans Sk8-Hi’s

• Adidas Gazelles 

I’ve enjoyed basketball since I was young, and always took note of what my favorite players (Allen Iverson, and Kevin Garnett, to name two) were wearing. When I started working in a shoe store as a 15 year old, it was a wrap. I started buying every sneaker I’d ever wanted since I finally had a little bit of pocket money to spare, and my passion/obsession (depends on who you ask) only grew from there.

I’ve always enjoyed expressing myself through my words, and always knew that I could do better than the mediocre to (let’s be completely honest here…) poor writing and grammar that I see on some of the bigger sneaker sites. Although I’d mulled around the idea of starting my own site to broadcast my take on our culture for quite a while, I didn’t get the push I needed to go through with it until Spring 2014.

I was sitting around bored at my dull office job daydreaming about Flyknit and JS Wings, when the name KicksOneTwo popped into my head.  (Anyone who doesn’t get the connection to our Minneapolis area code 612 should stop reading now.) I thought it would be dope to shine a spotlight on what makes our community special, and show love to some of the awesome people I’ve mashed minds with in this cultural journey.  A phrase I’ve always tried to live by is “Conformity Erodes the Soul” and I figured it was time to put that into action!

If you’re still with me, I hope you have a little better understanding of the meaning behind this site. Come back frequently! We’ll be bringing you updates on what’s going on in our community, from sneakers, to events, to dope music! Excited to continue this journey with everyone!

–RDwyer

The post KicksOneTwo Founder and Editor, Ross Dwyer: About Me appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

The first sneaker I ever bought with my own money was the Nike SB “Tie Dye”. I’ve got a lot of respect for a lot of different designers, so I can’t give you guys a favorite off the top of my head, but I can list  a top 3 (in no particular order)

• Todd Bratrud
•  Ronnie Fieg
• Jeff Staple

If I could only wear 1 shoe for the rest of my life it would be a Nike SB dunk, hands down. My favorite sneaker I own (and also my greatest sneaker accomplishment) is a pair of Send Help 2 dunk highs that I actually got signed by Todd Bratrud himself last year at an art show he had at Familia Skateshop in uptown Minneapolis. As far as my favorite sneaker brand, I’m definitely a Nike man. But don’t get me wrong! I love Air Jordans, Asics, and New Balances also. I don’t really discriminate against a dope pair of kicks.

As far as writing goes don’t expect to see much on my behalf. My role lies more on the creative side of things, from photos to fresh new ideas. You guys can expect to feel a lot of my energy in the projects we are planning on presenting. We want to bring a quality representation of what the local music and fashion scene is like in the twin cities, as well as work together to get the word out about how dope our culture is to other people and other places. Outside of being a website (blog, virtual outlet to how we feel about the culture we’re all so immersed in) you can expect to see a lot of photos, listen to a lot of good music and read a lot of quality writing.

All I want to do is create and work on something we’re proud of, and eventually make something great. Ironically I have get back to work (Ross and I both work 40+ a week. The grind is real!) but you’ll be hearing from me soon.

-JJohn

The post KicksOneTwo Creative Director Jahmade John: About Me appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

Other than working at a locally owned footwear and apparel boutique, my involvement in “the game” or whatever you call it is strictly as an admirer. Theoretically I (get paid to) sell thousands of dollars of clothes and shoes a week, and I sometimes feel like I buy an equal amount…but working in a local sneaker shop also pays me millions a week in peoples’ 2 cents on a subject, so I might as well invest it in this blog.

Translating raw info into digestible chunks for the user is what I do; the U of M gave me a framed pice of paper for proof. I’m not fueled by positive feedback or numbers of views, just a writing high and human itch to be clothed.

For those still with me, I am putting MY time into this blog to keep people from drowning in corruptive yet attractive fashion by providing a specialized channel through the eyes of an observer…

I’ll leave you with the relevant words from a good friend of mine:

“My eyes dig it, but I wouldn’t wanna rub it on my flesh”- A good friend of mine

SCrawford

The post KicksOneTwo Guest Writer Sean Crawford: About Me appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

My interest in shoes started as a child in elementary school. Every August before the new school year started, I’d always want my parents to buy me the most expensive shoes with the hope that everyone in class would be jealous. Funny to think about even as an 8 year old, I wanted to stunt on kids. I can’t help but laugh now as I remember my dad telling me that $100 for a pair of shoes was an outrageous price. It was even funnier when I got older and first told him that I could get hundreds of dollars for certain pairs of shoes.

I really got involved in the whole sneaker culture when I was a sophomore in high school. It all started with my own personal interest and curiosity, along with a text to one of my now-best friends, Titus Bishop. He showed me the ropes, and from then on, despite being labeled as both the weird kid that’s really obsessed with shoes, and the wannabe basketball player, I was hooked on sneakers.

In addition to sneakers, I also have love for streetwear and fashion, music, sports, and have growing passions for photography, public speaking, and writing.

I look forward to writing for you and hope you really start rocking with me. You’ll definitely learn more about me through my articles. In the meantime, I’m all over social media, so feel free to follow me on Twitter, Instagram and even SnapChat (Cienik01).

-ECienik

The post KicksOneTwo Writer Emil (Bobby) Cienik: About Me appeared first on Kicks-1-2.

KicksOneTwo was born out of a desire to give our community a voice. We’ve got lots of great people, places, and events here in our community, and the KicksOneTwo staff feels that the things that make our scene so great deserve coverage. A lot of hard work has gone into the site to make it the best it can be, and we’re ready to shine the light on our community!

Our motto is “The Soul of Sole, in the Heart of Minneapolis.” The reason we chose this is because we intend to cover every part of our culture that makes it outstanding. New sneaker dropping at a local shop? We’ll be sure to share info. Dope event going on? We’ll be there taking pictures. Big news in the sneaker world? We’ll be sharing our thoughts and opinions.

So hop aboard! It’s going to be an awesome ride We’ll constantly be changing and updating the site, looking to make it better any chance we get, from a new logo to a new layout… From all of us at KicksOneTwo to you, thank you for stopping by. We’re looking forward to becoming your #1 destination for what’s going on in our community.

-RDwyer & JJohn

The post Welcome to KicksOneTwo! appeared first on Kicks-1-2.