I customise football boots as a job

Jordan:

I never thought I'd be able to do my dream job of combining my love for football and art.

My name is Jordan Dawson, and I customise footballers' boots for brands, celebrities, and athletes.

My passion for football started when I was a kid. My dad brought me up on football by watching the most amazing Brazil team with the Ronaldinhos and Kakás, and that made me fall in love with football at a very young age.

As well as my passion for football, I have an incredible passion for art, and that started when I was a little kid,and I used to draw in my grandma's conservatory, cartoons and footballers.

I customise products for brands and athletes, including footballers. So that could be anything from football boots to trainers, bags, consoles, and turn that into something special. So making it personalised to each client. So I've worked with Declan Rice, Mbappé, Lamine Yamal.

So players will message me on social media. We'll have a conversation about what they want on their design and go through what boots they're wearing, what size they need, and then I will go off, create a mock-up design for them to have a look at afterwards. Once they're happy with that, I'll then start the process, and then we meet, see their first reaction, normally a massive smile on their face, and then I get to see them wearing it on pitch, which is a fantastic moment for me. I get to see them scoring goals, doing celebrations, and yeah, I get those amazing photos as well for me to use.

My artistic skills to create something special for the client. One of the biggest skills that I need for this job is belief. I think a lot of people are told no in certain ways, and I've had that ride of up and downs, and it's very important to have that self-belief. Doing a job that you love, waking up every day, and making sure that it's something that you're proud of is a massive skill to have.

It all started, my journey, drawing in my bedroom. You'd find me in the art classroom all day long, putting the extra hours in.

So after leaving secondary school, I did a foundation course, which is a free course when you're under 18 to study art. I did that for a year. I went to art university, studied there for three years.

I was working part-time in a retail store for a major sports brand, and that led me to working on the trainers that they gave me and making a portfolio to take to other brands. And that is where my journey really began.

I think it's very important to network. It's a major part of what I do, and getting yourself out there, speaking to the right people. If you're in a space or an event where you're surrounded by people that you'd want to work with,to take that opportunity to speak to them. That's got me where I am today. So I think it's taking that leap of faith.

My career highlight would probably be customising Air Force 1s for the entire England squad for the 2022 World Cup. And seeing the likes of Harry Kane and Phil Foden wear them pitch-side was an incredible moment for me. To see my artwork on the biggest stage in football, can't beat that.

I would recommend getting a job in the football industry because football, for me, is the biggest sport in the world.

When I was at secondary school, I got bullied for studying creative subjects. I studied art, media, and photography. For me, that was vital to get me where I am today. And I think it's very important that people study what they want to study, the subjects that they love, and not follow others. It's about you. It's the career that you want to take. Personally, it's a dream job for me. Waking up and being able to work with incredible people is a dream come true.

To find out what other careers you can have in football, explore the BBC Bitesize Follow Your Passion collection.