Van Taylor Monroe

Van Taylor Monroe

Shoe Artist


When things got tough, I didn't just give up. I was going to be a success story.

Videos

By Roadtrip Nation

Van Taylor Monroe

Milestones

My road in life has been direct.
He was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, in a family of nontraditional artists, and he's been painting since he was two years old.
After college, he knew he wanted to do something with business, and he figured he'd keep painting on the side.
He admits that he never felt an interest in business or finance, but he knew that's where the money was.
Eventually, after he kept hearing, "Follow your dreams," he knew he had to drop his brokerage job and focus on painting.
After painting for months, nothing was selling; he got to the point where he was about to be evicted from his home.
While the eviction notice was on still his door, he started listening to President Obama's speeches and feeling inspired.
A vision for a painted shoe came to him in a dream; the next day, he finished it, took a picture of it, and went about his day.
Suddenly, the shoe went viral; Will I. Am wore the "Obama shoe" to the BET Awards, it was displayed at the DNC, and now it's in the Smithsonian.
Keep following my journey

Career

Shoe Artist

I'm an artist known for painting the Obama shoe and other customized sneakers.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Art
Fashion
Teaching / Mentoring

Interviewed By

Atlanta - Cleveland

Atlanta - Cleveland

Aaron, Liz, and Autumn settle into life on the Road, enjoying each other and the cities that they visit. Driving on to Georgia, they interview Kyle Maynard, a young man born with congenital amputation, who became a college award-winning wrestler and an entrepreneur. From there, the team heads into Tennessee to speak
with Dr. Bill Bass, forensic anthropologist, which is a significant moment for Liz. In Cleveland, they visit with Van Taylor Monroe, sneaker artist, whose custom-painted Obama sneakers were donated to the Smithsonian Museum.