Mentoring the Next Generation of Creatives
Guiding young designers from first sketch to final sneaker — and helping raise over $20,000 each year for the Boys & Girls Club of Hilton Head.
Background
Through an ongoing agency partnership, I led a seasonal mentorship program with the Boys & Girls Club of Hilton Head — guiding students through the process of designing their own custom Stan Smith sneakers.
The initiative, supported by a relationship with Stan Smith and Adidas, challenged kids to reimagine the iconic Stan Smith silhouette and tell their story through design.
The Program
Each fall, I worked hands-on with a group of student participants over a six-week design sprint. We met weekly — sketching, concepting, and exploring where creativity comes from. Some came in with bold ideas. Others were quiet but curious. Together, we talked about art, purpose, and how to bring a personal story to life on a pair of sneakers.
Each year, the kids were given a creative theme to help guide their work — sparking imagination and giving structure to their storytelling. One year it was Broadway: Let the Bright Stars Shine, another year Passport to Great Futures, a travel-inspired concept that even had Stan Smith himself appear at the event dressed as a pilot. Most recently, the theme was Let’s Make Magic, encouraging wonder and playfulness in their designs.
At the end of the program, the finished shoes were auctioned off at a fundraising event, with proceeds going back to support the club’s programs and outreach. Every year, the auction raised over $20,000 — and gave the kids a platform to be seen and celebrated.
Expanding Creative Access Through AI
In a more recent collaboration, I helped lead our agency’s holiday initiative — a creative project with the Boys & Girls Club introducing kids to emerging technology through generative AI.
Using Midjourney, the students explored image-making by crafting prompts that transformed their ideas into holiday card art. The results were hundreds of unique, joyfully weird, and beautifully personal printed cards — created by the kids and gifted to their families.
It was a playful and powerful way to show that imagination and technology can meet anywhere — even in a holiday greeting.
Personal Note
Working with the kids at the Boys & Girls Club has been one of the most rewarding parts of my creative journey. I loved connecting with them, helping spark ideas, and guiding them through the process — especially those who didn’t believe they had the creative ability to make something beautiful. Watching them light up with confidence as their ideas took shape was powerful. There's nothing better than helping someone discover they’re capable of more than they thought.