Mind Your Business Magazine: Making Moves: FlyKickz--Sneaker Artist

Monday

Making Moves: FlyKickz--Sneaker Artist

::Who:: Dez a.k.a. 'FlyKickz
::Age: 23-Scorpio
::Location:: CT via NJ/NY

::What Do you Do::
Artist-I create custom sneaker art on various styles and brands of sneakers-[Sneaker Customizer]

::What Motivates You::

My family and the positive people I surround myself with

::When Did You Start & How::

I started customizing at the end of 2006, around the end of December. I’ve always been into art it was just a matter of finding the right canvas and I found that with sneakers.

::Where Can Your Work Be Seen::

myspace.com/flykickz_designs
flykickz.synthasite.com
HypeBeast Forums
DV8 Magazine
And currently in SoleFood NYC--[a sneaker boutique located in downtown Manhattan]

::Why Should People Take Notice::
My pieces are creative, artistic and fun. A lot of the work I create requires a lot of patience to complete. I try to not stick to one particular style, instead I continue to think outside the box and each piece is a reflection of that

::Favorite Shoe or Canvas To Use::

Nike Dunk Hi’s, mainly because of the structure of the shoe and the way it’s broken up into different parts.

::Describe being a female in a mostly male genre. Has that been an advantage or disadvantage for you::

It’s definitely a challenge when you dwell amongst men but you have to continue to out do yourself each time you touch a piece of canvas and strive to be the best. As long as you continue to be great at what you do all that other stuff fades away. I think its been an advantage for me because there aren't many female customizers in the game at the moment.

CONTINUE INTERVIEW HERE...

::Whats One Thing You Hate To Hear As an Artist::
Its usually always love from people that comment on my work, but sometimes guys in particular will say some random things. Such as 'I would've thought FlyKickz was a guy' , as if females don't customize too

::You've lived in and traveled to various cities, which city had the best sneaker/creative culture and which had the worst::
The best so far has been NYC, they definitely have a creative culture that continues to stick out in my mind. The worst?….Well i haven't traveled everywhere yet so ill keep looking.

::Besides yourself, what other artists or custom artist do you like::
Vincent van Gogh, Picasso, Roy Lichtenstein just to name a few

::How many shoes have you customized and what is your specialty::
I’ve customized over 20-30 pairs sneakers so far and I’d have to say my specialty is creating clean finished products which may appear simple but when examined you can see the time and patience that was put into the detailing.

::Are you making a living doing this, or is it more of hobby::
Designing for FlyKickz is more then just a hobby. I love what I do. I know that as long as I continue to believe in the things that I create other doors will open.

::What are some of your future aspirations::
I want to collaborate and create designs for various sneaker companies allowing me to become the blueprint for future limited edition sneakers. I would also love to do some magazine work, charitable events, fashion shows and be apart of Sneaker Pimps. Overall I want to take FlyKickz to as many different levels as possible.

:: Have any Famous people worn your customs..& Who would you love to have wear a pair::
No famous people have worn my sneakers yet but I definitely would like to see my work on Nas, Fat Joe and a lot more talented artists.