Soul Shoes

Out all of the clothing articles people engulf themselves in every day, there is nothing one can wear that out-serves their shoes. The most memories I can recall, in terms of clothing, all retreat back to a pair of white, slip-on, Van's look-a-like shoes I bought at Walmart. While inexpensive and poorly designed, the blank canvas of the shoes inspired me to be creative. Before I left Walmart on the day I purchased the shoes, I also grabbed an entire kit of sharpies, and let my imagination go to work. Within a few hours of concentrated drawing at home, I had constructed a true representation of myself that I could slide onto my feet. Unfortunately, the shoes were demolished within a week; due to riding a bike without brakes, and longboarding on the roasting asphalt roads in the summer. Although the shoes had a quick demise, I had more fun riding around in them than anything else, and came out with a new hobby. Soon I was going through countless amounts of sharpies and making one pair of shoes after another. I would give them away as gifts to friends and family, and even managed to sell a few pairs in high school.

Drawing on shoes is definitely a time consuming activity, but every time I either made a pair for myself or someone else, I got more in return in reference to respect and good memories. My sister, who is much more talented artistically than I am, also took up the hobby, giving us the opportunity to exchange them between one another. In almost no time at all we had what seemed to be a small non-profit business running, where we simply bought shoes and drew on them for basically anybody who wanted them. While neither of us made much of a profit from our new found hobby, I can speak for us both when I say the process itself rewarding enough regardless. Finding a way to express my creativity in a way that I feel serves a purpose is, in my mind, worth the cost of a pack of markers, and a pair of ten dollar shoes. Even though college does not leave me with enough time or money to enjoyably do so anymore, I still have intact creations that I wear around, and I know, being a local, that there are others on campus that do as well. The remaining pairs lying in my home, in my dorm, in people’s closets, and in the trash, despite how torn, will carry my memories, and perhaps the memories of several others.