We recently connected with Mikaela Henderson and have shared our conversation below.

Mikaela, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The biggest risk I’ve ever taken in my life is what I’m doing now. Dropping out of college and quitting my full time traditional job to become a self employed artist is not an easy task, and you 100% never know what is coming next, but I like to look at that as a positive. The next thing could be that you land a partnership or collaboration with a huge organization and make incredible original art with them. Or, it could be a huge breakthrough and you create your own masterpiece. The point I always make is, I would rather have taken this risk and failed versus never taking it at all and going through my whole life wondering “what if”.

Mikaela, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Mikaela and I am a 23 y/o artist. I’m mainly an acrylic artist, and I use sneakers as my canvas because I think it’s so cool people can walk around in my art and express themselves through style that is totally custom made for them!

I decided to drop out of college in 2019 and really lean into what I’ve always been, an artist. I got a ton of support and encouragement from my partner so I definitely wouldn’t be where I am now without that. I worked extremely hard and long hours outside of my full time job to get my name out there and build my portfolio, and was able to quit my job within a year of starting SQC because of that dedication.

While I’ve now worked with hundreds of individual private clients, celebrities, and brands creating custom sneaker art for them, I’m most proud of the effort and consistency I’ve put into my business and craft, over the last almost 4 years. In turn, this also translates to the amount of personal growth I’ve had and the work I’ve put into myself. I 100% wouldn’t be who I am today without going through everything I have with this career, and I’m so grateful for it.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think society can best support creatives by simply realizing that their entire world around them is made by a real artist of some sort and there is incredible value in that. Your favorite shows and books? The clothes you wear? The graphics on your phone you use everyday? They were all created by creative people. So much of this world wouldn’t be as impactful or even exist as it is without creatives. Yes, AI art is a huge thing now, but I’m not worried about it replacing real artists. There is a very true desire to consume real art from living and breathing human artists. There’s an emotion and type of communication behind it that simply can never be replicated by a computer.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist with an online platform is the connections that I get to make everyday. I get tons of messages from people all over the world sharing their own stories with me and letting me know that I inspired them in some way. To have a positive impact on someone’s life by simply sharing my story and art is honestly all I could ask for.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://sneakerqueenscustoms.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sneakerqueenscustoms/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sneakerqueenscustoms
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/snkrqueenscstms
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvE1mDf5n7tS32uI3eO57Ig