I truly believe, life gives you little hints on where you should be,who you should be with, or where you should be going. You just have to stop and slow down for a minute, or reflect on where you've been.
That's how I felt about my involvement with TOMS Shoes. Before I even decided I wanted to pursue a career in something more creative, I got involved with TOMS as a creative outlet when I was in college. At the time, I was studying day in and day out to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.I was craving to be a part of something that excited me. And that's when I stumbled upon the TOMS Campus Club. At the time, TOMS Shoes was not just trendy but an unconventional way of thinking, you can give back to your community and make a profit for your company. During their popularity, they started campus clubs to spread their message to college campuses.
I loved the message and it hit home to me, because growing up my family always gave back and volunteered in various forms and even ran a nonprofit.
When I decided I wanted to join the campus club, I went to my student union and sadly found out that the club wasn't running anymore. Rather than fret, I did my research and restarted the club. Little did I know this first set back and get back up mentality, would be the story of my life for years to come.
Getting involved in the club, was exciting to me. I was truly passionate about and excited about what I was doing. For so long, my parents drilled into my head, if you are passionate you will make it happen. But I could never relate, I wasn't passionate about my major in animal science, I didn't have a hobby I was really excited about, or a sport I felt exhilarated by. Feeling passionate about something was a first for me. It made me happy, it inspired me, and it challenged me. Within the span of two years from my junior year to senior year, I went from a simple campus club officer, to president, to going on a shoe distribution trip to Sri Lanka to distribute shoes, and even getting to meet TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie himself. It's crazy to think one small step to get involved, was the start of delving into a world of possibilities. It really opened my mind, that I don't have to be one thing or the other. I can be anything or best yet create something crafted just for me.
When you are young, old, or somewhere in between and discover your passion, it's pretty surreal. Before that moment, you didn't realize you were only living life in black and white. You suddenly realize those all star athletes, aspiring actresses, or trailblazing performers were not hard to relate to they just discovered their passions early on, while some of us discover our passions at different stages in life.
This little experience, stopped me in my tracks in college. I had many sleepless nights, lonely days crying to myself, and suddenly realizing becoming a veterinarian may have been what a naive 5 year old Jeneeka dreamed up being, but my little clues in life showed me I needed something creative, something a little business savy, and something that mattered to me. I tried to do a band aid fix by switching my major to a business degree at my college. But since business was too impacted and my grades weren't the greatest I didn't get in. So after I graduated and a handful of odd jobs, I realized if I really wanted to do something more creative, I had to dive head first. So I enrolled in a short post bach program in product development at FIDM in downtown Los Angeles. Since it was a design school, it really pushed me to what I knew I wanted all along, a more creative ambitious environment. What I thought would be super scary was actually a place I felt more like myself and what I could eventually be. Fast forward six years later, and I've developed products for start ups and larger companies. I even started to dive into what I would like to design on my own terms, and I've never felt more alive. All thanks to a chance encounter with a small little club.
To play tribute to the start of my passion in product design, I've designed some TOMS of my own. Inspired by their classic silhouette, the alpargata along with some of the things that made me truly inspired in my college years and still do today, listening to Jack Johnson and traveling to Sri Lanka. The blue tones were inspired by Jack Johnson's beachy tunes and hand stitched line details were influenced by the hand crafted details I found visiting different villages in Sri Lanka. I made the heels and inner soles dark in color to upgrade them a little. The typical TOMS have lighter insoles and heels making them easy to get scuffed or dirty. This way you can go where your heart desires with worrying about a little dirt along the way.
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