Motivation

Nike Zoom X Invincible - Q&A with Artist Emma Evans

We caught up with Manchester-based artist, Emma Evans, to talk about running, how sport influences her work and what she thinks of the new Nike Zoom X Invincible running shoe. Emma has also created a series artwork specifically for this campaign and she explains what her work represents below.

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1.When did you first start running and how much of an impact and influence does it have on your life?

My favourite sport at school was running, I LOVED IT and represented my school but I stopped running during my adolescent years as I became more self-conscious of my slim, less curvaceous frame. Then about 20 years ago I started running again for fun. I entered loads of charity runs of 5K and 10K distance, then my first big race was the Wilmslow Half Marathon. I have since entered at least one major charity running event every year. To date, my biggest running challenges have been Manchester Marathon and Quest in Wales.

2. Where have you most enjoyed running during the last 9 months

I live in Salford (Manchester), a five-minute walk from my home is Worsley woods, it's beautiful. I love my runs around the woods and being surrounded in nature where a simple loop of the area gives me a 7.5km run. Sometimes I mix it up if I want to increase the distance and run alongside the Bridgewater canal and back for up to 20km at a time. During lockdown running has been extremely important to keep me focused and energised.

3. How have you coped without the challenge and motivation of organised races? Has your training and focus changed much?

At the start of last year I was training for the Manchester Marathon. The race was a big motivator and I had just got up to 80% race distance on my runs, then the pandemic hit. At the start of the first lockdown I stopped running altogether, I was paralysed with emotion and seemed to spend a lot of time watching constant news reports on the virus and the new measures the government was introducing to tackle it. As the lockdown took hold, I lost all of my clients and most of my income, but it also meant I had a new found freedom to run anytime I liked. I enjoyed running in the afternoons listening to Podcasts, it was a great escape from the news of the virus and on top of it delivering all the benefits running gave me physically, I looked forward to the runs as a way to better myself intellectually through the podcasts I was learning from. Work has since returned in new exciting ways, so at the moment I am running three days a week at 6:30am with a pal and each week we are increasing the distance in preparation for the rescheduled Manchester Marathon in October. Hattie has been a great accountability partner, we make the run's fun and on the past six runs on Strava we have mapped out the word 'ARTIST' where each run we drew a different letter through the tracking function. Running in the morning, before I start work is amazing and gives me the energy and focus I need before my working day.

4. What is it you love most about running?

I love the energy it gives me, a morning run fuels me for the rest of the day! Running is my meditation. When I am running alone, I tend to have lots of ideas for my art and when running with a friend we natter and catch up all the way around, with the focussed time together leading to more in depth and meaningful conversation.

5. Why do you think empowering women to run is so important?

It's a powerful thing to run, to feel independent, healthy, strong and to take control of your wellbeing! It's really important to encourage and motivate women to run for themselves to feel energised, focused and determined to grab life with both hands! I would encourage people to motivate their pals to run, find accountability cheerleaders and enjoy the beautiful journey together!

6. We love your artwork for this particular campaign. Can you tell us more about what this artwork represents?

The colour of the artwork is inspired by the Nike Zoom X Invincible, bold bright and full of high energy.

Each artwork is unique, I started making the first marks slowly, symbolizing procrastination, as I worked into the painting my brush strokes and mark-making got faster, representing the running journey. The artwork has a lot of textures and layers. I wrote positive mantras and messages within the painting and then painted over them to embed the positive power in the painting. Some of the brush strokes symbolise abstract hills and paths and I have used many mediums to create texture to characterise the earth with textures of mud, sand and gravel. I also painted the sole of my trainers and used my sole trainer to imitate running marks on the canvas.

Each positive mantra is to empower, encourage and inspire us to KEEP ON MOVING.

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7. Let’s talk about the Nike Zoom X Invincible. What are your favourite features, and what is the fit like?

I LOVE the Nike Zoom X Invincible, I feel like it was designed for me. Two of my favourite colours are bright pink and fluorescent yellow. I’m really looking forward to putting some more miles in them.

CLICK HERE TO SHOP NIKE INVINCIBLE

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And for more inspirational tips to become stronger, better and happier, then check out our Motivation category. Because it’s no fun standing still.