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With contributions from Jacques Slade
Being a dad is tough work. So is working in the sneaker industry, but there are people in the business that manage to do both successfully. As the world celebrates Father's Day, Complex talked to 10 dads with serious sneaker habits to get their tips on how to manage a family along with their hobby. See what they had to say by checking out How to Be an Awesome Father (As Told By Sneakerheads)
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Tommie Battle
Twitter: @BoneyStarks
Look, man, being a father isn't a tough gig as much as it is a long-term one. I was listening to a podcast where they talk about how it's the work that you put in when your kids are young that reflects when they're older. I mean, they are a reflection of the best and worse of you, so keep that in mind next time they're driving you nuts.
A few years ago, there was a stretch of time where I had to sell off all of my kicks to make ends meet. And while I don't look back with any regret, I do look back with a bit of perspective. Kicks and other shit that I used to break my back for aren't as important as their well being. While I never put those material things over my family, I had to learn that those material things will come and go. My kids are my heart. By having them just staring or laughing was the most invaluable lesson that I've ever learned: I was responsible for another life. I'm now able to pretty much buy what I want again, but there's a lot more in life than kicks.
Nick Grant
Twitter: @NicholasGrant
Family is always first, but there are those times when I am on the verge of a sacrificial month-long-Ramen-dinner-diet in order to make a game-changing sneaker purchase. And when I say "game-changing," I mean grail status. I've steered clear of GRs for the most part lately, because the hassle to try and purchase online just isn't worth it anymore. It's also the excuse I am using since my purchases have certainly been limited with all the expenses of an ever-growing one-year old, on top of other responsibilities one has as an adult without being filthy rich.
Matt Halfhill
Twitter: @matthalfhill
Sneakers were and always will be a big part of my life, but what do I live for? Them. Ever since the first moment I saw my daughter in 2007, I felt that sudden light-headed feeling most dads do, but something that I felt right away was a new level of motivation in my work.
With each new baby, some how my wife and I added a new business. Nice Kicks today is more than just a blog, but also a retail store, e-commerce site, and a brand consulting business among many other things. Much of its growth I have to give thanks to my kids for pushing me. They don't know what they have done or how they have motivated me, but with them already taking interest in the family business, I look forward to handing over the keys one day to my children. For if it was not for them, who knows where things would be. Thank you Emma, Aidan, Dylan, and Lauren.
Frank the Butcher
Twitter: @FrankTheButcher
My family is everything to me, and the one thing I wanted to avoid was raising my kids to be spoiled, brand obsessed, entitled little pricks. They don't get every shoe they want, and I don't leverage my contacts and relationships to get them things. My job is my job and at home I don't walk around as "Frank the Butcher." I'm dad and you have to earn what you get. They know what I do and occasionally find it cool, but cool doesn't get good grades. I love my kids and I want them to excel in school— that's the real cool.
Coltrane Curtis
Twitter: @ColtraneCurtis
My only hobby is my two-year-old son, Ellington. When I'm not at the office, all my attention is devoted to him. As far as other interests, I've always had a love for clothes: sneakers, fashion, styling. I still maintain that interest, but the focus has changed entirely. I hardly shop for myself anymore, it's all geared towards Ellington. The priorities have changed. It's all about him now.
Nightwing
Twitter: @nightwing2303
Balancing a full-time job, sneaker blog, and YouTube Channel isn't easy when you have a seven-year old and a seven-month old. But if you love kicks as much as I do, then it's really not all that bad. However, I remember it being much worse when my first child was born. I worked full-time, and then we had another mouth to feed. Then you add on diapers, formula, clothes, etc., and you really have no room left for sneakers.
If you're like me, you didn't even have room for the pairs you already owned, so I wound up having to sell most of them off just for extra cash. Royal 1s from '01, Concords from '00, basically everything I had bought from senior year up until 2006 had to go. Talk about starting from scratch. Fast forward to present day, and I'm doing fine. Got my Concords back (grabbed a few pairs, actually). Haven't gotten my Royals back, even though I tried hard as hell. But I have way more than I ever did and ever thought I'd have. All because I had such a passion for kicks that I started a YouTube channel and blog that happen to become somewhat successful. Not bad for a guy with a full-time job and two kids.
Sean Williams
Twitter: @OSDLIVE
I've been into sneakers for 29 years. Before the shows, events, and everything that is sneaker culture today, I always had a busy schedule. Since my kids came into the picture (Simone, 14, and Gavyn, 12), they have been my road dogs as often as possible. Both have been to sneaker related events with me over the years. They have assisted me in conducting workshops for non-profits, and my daughter has even come with me out of state to events. To this day, they still will go with me to events. They've been very much in tune with my role in sneaker culture, so because of that they've made the balancing act really easy.
Jacques Slade
Twitter: @kustoo
To be honest, the balancing act isn't really related to the sneakers. It is related to time. My goal is to spend as much time as I can with my kids to make sure they are better prepared than I was. With that as a focus, I struggle like any parent that works. I am fortunate enough that I work from home, so I get to take my kids to and from home from school everyday as well as help with homework. I get to talk them about their day and guide them through life in a way that most parents don't get to do. At the same time, because I work from home, I often work later and earlier than I need to which causes its own set of issues. But like any parent, it is just a matter of balancing your time. I am not saying I am perfect, but I am getting better. A work in progress. As far as actual sneakers go, my family is really indifferent. They aren't into sneakers, fashion, music, and technology the way that I am and that's OK. I don't expect them to be. I buy them sneakers every once in a while, but I never force them to wear something I like because it was hot when I was younger. I want them to create their own memories and establish their own favorites, whether that is sneakers, or that one time we built a Minecraft server. To them, I am not the sneaker guy on the Internet, I am that guy that stops them from playing video games until their homework is done or the guy that wakes them up every morning with a kiss, a hug, and an "I love you."
Tyree Dillihay
Twitter: @sneadsbyree
Balancing family, work, and sneakers all boils down to priorities. For example, notice the order in which I listed my priorities. Family is first. Work is second. And sneakers is last...unless it's a quickstrike. Seriously, family always comes first because it determines how you move in life. Compare how a single man/woman operates their finances versus how a married man/woman operates theirs. Let's also be clear that family includes yourself. Work is the common denominator amongst us all, but how we spend our money is where the differences lie. If you have a family of four and don't make over six figures annually, getting new releases every week of every month for yourself (and maybe the whole clan) might not be a good look. But if you're single with a modest level of income and the only person's needs and wants your responsible for are your own, I'd tell you to flourish. Personally, I make a comfortable living making television cartoons. Out of my love for sneakers, I make a web-comic called "SN'EADS" that's provided me an additional source of income in the sneaker industry, as well as a few perks such as free kicks. So, when I think about it, I've gotten to the point where I don't work for sneakers, sneakers work for me. All in all, I'm very blessed to do what I love for the people that I love.
Brett Golliff
Twitter: @bgolliff
I am a new father. My son is five months old as of last week. Being a father is the single greatest thing that has happened to me, next to marrying my wife, of course. Fatherhood is life changing to say the least. The gift and the curse of being a father is that I genuinely want to spend all my time with him. It's a gift because I would gladly do it anytime, whether he was crying or laughing I would drop anything to be with him. The curse is that being a parent, especially with a new born, is that any idea of scheduling is gone. You want to block time to draw and write? Tough shit, the baby is teething. You have the baby down to sleep and you are going to knock out a few blog posts? Nope. He's awake now. But he will sleep if he's on your chest. Which is amazing but not very conducive for accomplishing work.
Between being a husband and a father, designing cars full time, doing design consulting for footwear companies, and then blogging for various media sites and myself—something isn't getting the full attention it deserves at any given time. No matter what it is my wife and son come first.
As for collecting shoes, it hasn't slowed at all. I think I have actually bought more pairs this year already then I did all of last year. Oddly enough, though, I haven't bought my son a pair yet. I have come close on a couple of instances, but for whatever reason I don't. I kind of regret not buying the Concord Lows for him.
But there's part of me that doesn't want him to be forced into wearing and liking something simply because I do. If he gravitates towards them, then great. I will show him the way. But putting him in matching shoes as me is the most corny thing to me. I won't do it, except for maybe when the "Black/Infrared" VIs drop this Thanksgiving. I can confidently say fatherhood is the single best thing for me. It has taught me to emphatic and care for another person. It has shown me compassion and patience, but, most importantly, it has shown me the value of time. Both time with him and time away from him. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
