Meet Jada Kitna | Custom Cleat & Sneaker Artist
We had the good fortune of connecting with Jada Kitna and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Jada, what is the most important factor behind your success?
One thing I can’t say about my business is that it succeeded because of me. I owe 100% of my success to Christ and the opportunities and blessings He has given me. I worked on my business for almost two years before I realized I couldn’t succeed on my own and finally handed my business over to God and decided to trust Him with it. It took me 2 years to grow my following from 0 to nearly 1000 followers. Then I was provided the opportunity to do cleats for Dak Prescott, and from that one God-given opportunity my following doubled overnight. Since then my business has continued to grow at a rate I never could have anticipated or achieved on my own. Currently, I have just over 6,000 on instagram and 10.6k on Tik Tok as well as a long line up of orders! None of which I could have gotten on my own! Im excited to see where the next few months end up going as I have quite a few NFL and high end clients coming up! This is why my business verse is Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” This really resonates with me because I could have never imagined my art becoming my full time job or getting to work with so many famous clients! I had just planned it as a hobby… But God had better plans!
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Sneaker art has become increasingly popular these past couple of years, so breaking into the industry semi late back in 2020 was a bit of a challenge. You have to be able to find your individual style and set your art apart from the rest. I also think its important not to lose the art aspect of your work for the sake of orders. You have to realize that order requests are just that… requests. You don’t have to take on projects that don’t fit your style or are uninspiring to you. Thats always been my main goal is to keep my art art and not a job. Thats why I don’t do remakes of old projects or recreations of shoes people saw on Pinterest and Etsy… that’s not my art.
My brand story in a nutshell is that I was always into art of all kinds growing up; drawing, painting, photography, all of it! In spring of 2020 my little brother JT wanted his track spikes painted with Maui from the movie Moana. Afterward, I posted a picture of the spikes on my instagram story, and from there people started to ask me for custom shoes, cleats, jackets, and even a Playstation 4 console! After a few pairs, I decided to start an Instagram page specifically for my work where I advertised my custom pairs of shoes for just $50. Eventually, the name was changed to JadaFromTheBlock, and I filed it as an LLC in the state of Texas! After almost 2 years of growing my business the JFTB Instagram was almost to 1000 followers. The Lord blessed me with the opportunity to do cleats for Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Dak Prescott! In one day my following doubled to over 2000 followers! Through JFTB I have truly been able to see the power of God firsthand. What took me two years to build he doubled in one day. He took something from being a one off project and hobby to a full on business where I get to use my God-given talents to work with all kinds of people to create pieces that they love! My business is a testament to the amazing character and love of Jesus Christ.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As far as places to go, if you get the opportunity to stay at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine! My family and I have also recently started going to Billy Bobs Texas to go country dancing! But as far as places to eat, I’m not the one to ask lol. I may be the pickiest eater of all time. Im a chicken strip and cheese pizza gal.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, my number one shoutout is to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has changed my life in more ways than just my business! Secondly, I would like to thank my family “the circle of trust” for always being there to encourage me and share my work! Lastly, I would like to thank Dak Prescott for continuing to support me and my work and for helping to put me on the map!
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/jadafromtheblock/the-block-home
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_jadafromtheblock/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jada-kitna-239531171/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jada_theblock
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-99zj5h4z5uTY6fRmZ8jwg
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