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

Trent, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

So, the first time I actually thought i could earn a full time living from my work is when i was receiving request for sneakers while i was at my former employer and not searching for commissions. I think the biggest thing is building your portfolio and alignment with people/brands that can “legitimize” you. Another important aspect of earning a full time living is asking yourself “How many streams of revenue can you create?” I started offering private classes, launching merchandise and doing pop up events. There are several ways of stabilizing your craft without losing the integrity of your work or passions.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I started during quarantine. I’ve always had a love for sneakers and painting, so I decided to combine the two hobbies. We typically do commission work, when a client wants a pair of sneakers they reach out via our website and then we will do a design consultation. Shoes are hand-painted or airbrush, then covered in a topcoat. We provide unique gifts and footwear in addition to merchandise and private classes. I think the biggest thing that I am proud of is the progression of my business over the last year and a half, I haven’t I think the biggest thing that I am proud of is the progression of my business over the last year and a half, I have been presented with a lot of different and unique opportunities to help me really showcase my talent. Mainly working with large scale businesses like Performance Food Service, High noon Sun Sips and also being able to do custom giveaways at the State fair of Texas. I would like anybody that wants to collaborate or work with us to know that they will get incredible attention to detail they will get passion and they will get authenticity.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I believe the most rewarding aspects is to see not only the creativity of certain clients and the kind of footwear designs that they want, but it’s also to see the looks on their faces when I show them the results. I’ve always been incredibly passionate with taking care of people and also putting smiles on faces, so when I see someone smile from ear to ear because we created something special, it really makes me proud.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think a lot of non-creatives don’t understand how much effort we put into a lot of our projects. When you see a finished product from ColtreKicks, there are some people that think we just slap paint on sneakers. There’s a lot of intricacies involved in all of it and it takes on average 10 to 12 hours to finish one pair. There are a lot of time constraints plus also social and family obligations also, so balancing all of that can be a struggle.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.coltrekicks.com
• Instagram: @coltrekicks
• Facebook: @coltrekicks
• Twitter: @coltrekicks
• Other: ColtreMerch.com