We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ahmad Fielder. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ahmad below.

Alright, Ahmad thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative and artistic path professionally was during my adolescence. I was fascinated with sneakers and learning about developing and designing silhouettes, particularly Nikes. Eventually, I discovered that you could color shoes for a living, and that opened a whole new world for me. Studying color and materials opened my eyes to what it is like to be a color designer in the footwear industry. From building color palettes to creating meaningful stories/narratives for the consumer to developing a rapport with the footwear designers, these moments made me realize that this is the path I should take and continue to follow my intuition. Another moment I wanted to pursue other creative endeavors was when I had a love and passion for music at a younger age. I’ve always been curious about making music and wanting to know the ins and outs of the process. In the middle of my sophomore year, I took the courage to create my first beat on the software Fruity Loops, and the rest is history. Since then, I’ve thirsted for knowledge to develop and share my sound with the world.

Ahmad, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Absolutely. I entered the footwear industry by searching for an opportunity to hone my craft as a color and materials designer. I initially studied bioengineering but later discovered a creative path was on the horizon. Eventually, I came across PENSOLE, a footwear academy originally located in Portland, Oregon, and that motivated me to dive deeply into the world of color/materials. During my time at PENSOLE, I had the pleasure of learning ways of ideating and creating a color palette that tries to relate to the consumer as much as possible, along with making a mood board that tells the story as well. I’m incredibly proud of my time there because it allowed me to utilize those skills in the role that I’m currently in as a footwear color designer. I’ve participated in fantastic projects and executed interesting concepts in my journey because of my time there. I appreciate my moment at PENSOLE even more for having those necessary skills. For music, I’ve gotten to the industry by releasing projects independently and making great connections. Being in Portland gives me a great chance to network with talented musicians and collaborate on special projects that the target audience would love to hear and enjoy.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I had to unlearn very quickly was the fear of failure. To succeed and see the fruits of our labor, we must take calculated risks, even if we might get a negative outcome. Failure is a necessary step to achieve your goals and dreams. But we must develop resiliency and fortitude to see things through. In the earlier years of my creative journey, I was slightly afraid to take that big leap and share my work because of the imaginary thought of someone having harsh criticisms, but I soon realized that it was all in my head. I also learned that there could be some constructive feedback that could enhance your work and skills as well. Furthermore, I saw the significant benefits of taking risks by consistently showcasing my art or networking with people. The worst thing that could happen is someone rejecting it or saying no. There may be an opportunity to change your life and your career.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding component of being an artist/creative is seeing your work out in the market. We still managed to complete the task through all the long nights, apprehension, and uncertainty. Seeing the audience appreciate your work is another rewarding feeling as well. Especially when you create something meaningful and impactful that speaks to someone’s soul. Creatives strive to accomplish this before releasing their work to the world. We want to cultivate a piece of work that could last a lifetime.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ahmad-fielder.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infrared_krypto/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmad-fielder-2a6857bb
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/infrared_krypto22