Saturday 18 October 2008

Custom Crepes - Aspiring to Inspire


I recently watched this short clip of the enigmatic Alex Nash customising a pair of Nike Jordans and have since been truly inspired. Though I have been privy to his wonderful works beforehand, it was not until I had the opportunity to willfully witness how he created his custom sneakers, that I was truly blown away by a combination of the mastery, patience and creative drive of the man. His message is clear, yet quite inspirational. We can all create. This video has inspired me to not only flex my creative muscles, but to try out new forms of creativity. I’ve never wanted to learn how to sew so much in my life; cutting up trainers and clothes has never been more appealing.

Nash’s work unintentionally lends itself to the failings in the schooling system. A system that seems dead in the water in terms of innovative approaches to teaching. Imagine how much more involved an unruly school kid would be, had he known that the creative skills he picked up in sewing class could lead to him creating his own, exclusive sneaker. Or that the transferrable skills learnt in art could lead to designing your own clothes, making them look the way you want them to look. It is never made clear what these creative tools can do for your future.

What kids need is inspiration, yet not of the usual, insipidly uninteresting academic fashion. Something that instills the enthusiasm, energy and drive that leaves kids with something that they can be proud of; something that they can hold in their hands and show off to their peers. It takes for the enrapturing inspiration of innovators, like Alex Nash, to not only make kids aspire to be inspiring but, just as importantly, to begin inspiring kids to aspire in the first place.

Image plundered wholeheartedly from here. Sorry

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