Kicks and Clicks: How Sneakers Inspired My Creative Journey

Hey, I’m Billy, an apprentice social editor at Lad Bible. I have a massive interest in trainers; it started when I was young, and my dad introduced me to them. As I have grown up, I have started collecting trainers and getting into casual clothes, such as Adidas. Over the years, I have been to trainer exhibitions, and it's interesting to see how people all have a story connected to trainers, with some even queuing up from other sides of the world to get their hands on these sneakers.

In college, I based many of my assignments on this passion. During a photography unit in advertising, I decided to focus on Adidas Trainers as my product. I took stock images of them, but what I am most proud of are my exterior shots. Here are a few examples: I had the Adidas Liverpool’s, and I shot them in Liverpool behind the Liver building. I also photographed the Liam Gallaghers in front of the mural dedicated to him in my hometown. I was proud of how they turned out, considering I had never really done photography before, and I used a mix of my phone camera and a DSLR camera.

My final assignment at college was to create a documentary, and I chose to focus on the casual movement. I am again proud of how my documentary turned out, earning me a Distinction. The whole process was fascinating; it gave me an insight into the meticulous work that goes into making documentaries, from filling out paperwork to the actual production. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire process. For this project, I had two interviewees, and one of them was my dad’s friend, who recently owned a shop selling the types of clothes I was discussing. His stories complemented the documentary well, and I'm very proud of the outcome.

During my time at college, basing my work on something I am deeply passionate about led to an amazing apprenticeship opportunity with a fantastic employer like Lad Bible. I hope to continue developing my media skills in various sectors.

Billy Barron, Cohort 40, Content Creator Apprentice at LadBible