First of all, here's some drawings I did of one of my Converses (I have 8 pairs in total; I did 3 drawings, but I couldn't find the pictures of the other 2):
This is my favorite pair of Converse. I did this drawing in oil pastels. My first pair of Converse were high-tops, in pink and orange madras plaid. I bought them when I was at the mall (in New Jersey) with two of my friends. Not long after that, I was in Los Angeles with my family, out shopping, when I went in to a Foot Locker. I went in because I saw a display of Converse. Then, I saw the *coolest* Converse: high-tops, black on the outside, pink on the outside, with pink soles. I think they were on sale- they were only like $30 (Converse high-tops usually cost about $50). I tried them on in my size, and they fit, so I bought them.
That was in August 2005- the summer before 9th grade. It's been almost 3 and a half years since then. I've worn these shoes hundreds of times. I've drawn on them, with pencils, pens, markers, Sharpies, and White-Out. They're so worn-out, but they're so awesome. I've gone through 4 pairs of shoelaces- white (the ones that came with the shoes); black with pink and white butterflies (very hardcore); pink and black checkered (the ones on the shoes in the drawing); and white with black skulls. The soles of these Converse are so thin, I can literally feel everything beneath my feet. Like, when I wore these on stage over the summer, I could feel the microphone cable when I stepped on it, and I can feel things like little pebbles and twigs. The only holes, though, are on the outside of the shoes (like wear my pinkie toes are, on the outside of them are giant holes). Any normal person would throw these shoes out (they probably would've thrown them out a long time ago, actually), but when did I claim to normal?
I felt that it would be fitting to draw them, since they mean so much to me, and I liked how oil pastels would let me get all "smudgy". Sometimes I smudge with a piece of paper towel, but I prefer to use my fingers; it's more organic, and I get more involved in the drawing and more connected. It does, however, mean that when I'm drawing with oil pastels, I have to wash my hands quite frequently.
I absolutely love Converse. The order I got them in:
1. Orange and pink Madras plaid high-tops
2. Black/pink high-tops
3. Beige slip-on low-tops
4. and 5. (on the same day) Black high-tops (I painted flames on them) and white low-tops with pink and gray tongues
6. Brown low-tops
7. Zebra print furry high-tops
8. Gray, black, and red plaid low-tops
Converse are great shoes, but they have some drawbacks. So here are some Pros and Cons about Converse All-Stars (Chuck Taylors):
Pros:
1. They're awesome. Face it, Converse are just cool. They've been around for like a hundred years. Why is that? Because they're awesome.
2. They make a great canvas for art, seeing as they're made out of, well, canvas.
3. They're vintage, but they're also modern.
4. They're multi-purpose; you can wear them to school, to a concert, out shopping, out to dinner (depending on the restaurant)...
5. Once they're worn in, they're extremely comfortable.
6. They last awhile. They don't break. When they do get worn-out, they look kinda cool.
7. They don't get messed up when they get wet. If my Converse get wet, I can just take them off, and soon enough they'll be dry and back to normal. If my Uggs get wet, the water leaves a water mark.
8. They come in SO many colors and styles. It's insane. There are Converse out there to match any and every outfit. I can wear my Converse with any outfit.
Cons:
1. They're kind of expensive. I mean, $50+ for a piece of canvas and some rubber
is kind of a lot.
2. They're not the best shoes for your feet, and they're not great for walking a lot, especially if they're new and not broken in (note to self: wearing brand-new Converse to walk around Boston all day WILL give you gigantic, painful blisters, even if you're wearing socks).
3. They have two little holes on the inside of your foot (those little silver rings, that look like the shoelace-holes). On most days, this isn't a big deal, but on snowy days like today, it means that you will get snow in your shoes, and your feet will feel pretty cold.
4. Once you buy one pair, you may be tempted to buy one more (or, in my case, seven more).
Overall, with 8 pros and 4 cons, I'd say Converse are good shoes, and I would definitely recommend them. If you don't have any Converse, you should buy some.
I actually don't think that Billy Ray Cyrus is at all awesome, but his name is Billy, so...
Okay, so over winter break, I saw Billy Elliot on Broadway, and let me just say: it was awesome. Before I went, I didn't know much about it. But I loved it. It was SO funny when the little boys were doing "push-ups" at the beginning. I highly recommend this show. If you haven't seen it, go see it soon!
Love him or hate him, Billy Shakespeare is probably the best/most well-known writer in the English language, ever. Shakespeare is hard to read, but you can't not love the romance in "Romeo and Juliet", and "Hamlet" was basically a Shakespearean emo kid.
