We were lucky to catch up with Lanise F recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lanise, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
I’ve had a lot of kind things done for me, but one of the kindest things would be receiving a pair of Puma RS-XL Mixtapes from the designer himself, AlexanderJohn. I’m a lover of sneakers and a big supporter of creatives and brands. I’m also an advocate, especially an ageism advocate. When I see something in the sneaker industry that’s not right, I’m very vocal about it. Sneakers should be universal no matter a person’s age, race, style, etc., so when I see biases, I feel obligated to speak up; especially for those of us who are over forty(a lot of brands tend to not include people in that age group or older in their marketing efforts, even though we are some of the flyest.)
I say all that to say, AlexanderJohn is one of my favorite sneaker designers. He is one of the dopest designers in the sneaker industry. I love being able to show my support, by purchasing sneakers he’s designed. The way he tells stories through his designs, really resonates with me. When I saw he was designing the Puma RS-XL Mixtapes, I knew I had to have a pair. I’m a huge music enthusiast. That sneaker pays homage to Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary, as well as having innovative technology incorporated, an actual mixtape. But, when the sneaker dropped, unfortunately, they only had bigger sizing, so I wasn’t able to buy.
Fast-forward, AlexanderJohn reached out to me, and from there, I was surprised with a “Friends & Family” pair from him. He had gotten a size made for me. I cried. I was so grateful. He thanked me for always showing support and for speaking up when brands aren’t always as authentic as they should be.
It was nice being recognized for just being myself, while showing support, and holding brands accountable, and not expecting anything in return. So this F&F pair of sneakers means a lot to me.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights, and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get into that, can you take a moment to introduce yourself, and give our readers some context of your background?
I’m a multi-faceted professional. I’m an HR professional by day, I’m a content creator, and as a side hustle, since 2011, I’ve been helping people with their resumes. I’m also a trained photojournalist, and have been doing photography since 2014, but its been a while since I’ve done any visual work, thanks to the Covid pandemic. I’m an authorpreneur aka author.
I self-published my book in 2021 and it has been an amazing experience. My book is an educational guide for anyone looking to go to college for the first time or returning to college, as a non-traditional adult, and can be purchased directly from me. As far as content, I enjoy creating it. I write, talk about, and showcase sneakers, style, culture, music, and being an advocate in those spaces. I created a hashtag #
What sets me a part is that, I stay true to me, at all times. I’m not afraid of speaking up, even if it means speaking up alone. I wear so many other hats but, I like keeping it on the low, so when people do find out something new about me, it’s a surprise to them.
What’s a lesson you’ve had to unlearn, and what’s the backstory?
It’s hard getting out your own way when you’re used to comfort. But growth will never come by staying in your comfort zone.
Publishing my book is teaching me to get out my comfort zone. I never in a million years thought I’d become an author, but because of experiences I had in school, the author life chose me. My book has afforded me opportunities like being invited on podcasts, book events, meeting new people, having meaningful conversations, etc.
In your view, what can society do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Show genuine support to the people you follow. It’s not always about buying something. It doesn’t cost a thing to leave a comment, like, or share. Support the people the same way you’d want to be supported. If you’re in a space where you’re able to mention someone’s name at a table, mention it. It doesn’t always have to be just your friends. Dope individuals doing great things should have an opportunity as well. There’s room for everyone.
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