Five in Five* with Art Director Troy Hester

Liberty Center, Ohio native Troy Hester says he grew up practically in a corn field. What’s the greatest part of moving to the (albeit small) city of Toledo now that he’s an adult? “I have a Home Depot right nearby now,” he says. The better to make runs for supplies as he renovates his 100-year-old house alongside his wife, Maddie.

We got inside the mind of our flannel-wearing, bespectacled and mustachioed cubicle neighbor for the latest Five in Five, our interview series where we get to know an Interrupter with five questions in five minutes*.

It definitely comes with being creative, I think. You have an eye for visual things. I think my wife was expecting when we bought a house that I wouldn’t have any input, but I have an opinion on every curtain choice.

Yeah. In fact, she’s probably more creative than I am. She’s always exploring a new medium. Right now she’s really into leathercrafting, creating leather journals and bags, but even before that she was really talented with drawing and painting. We enjoy doing creative things together, like drawing. Sometimes we’ll go to the art museum or a coffee shop and sketch.

Growing up I played every sport I could: soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis, track. As I got older I narrowed it down to soccer and then decided I wanted to play in college so that’s when I really started to focus. I was an unusual combination of creativity and sports. I don’t know why, but so many of the athletic guys tend to be going to college for business, so I got a little bit of stick for being the creative on the team.

I do, every Tuesday. And I definitely watch soccer too. Depending on what team you support games are happening anywhere around the world. That’s something I love about soccer, it’s such a global sport. The team I support is Chelsea F.C. Sometimes the games are at 7:30 a.m. U.S. time. Which is great, because I prefer to use my evenings for hanging out with my wife or going fishing.

Death Valley was breathtaking. It was late October so the weather was beautiful. You get just outside the Sierra Nevada and then you have this crazy, otherworldly landscape in Death Valley. Yellowstone was also breathtaking. It was the best fishing I’ve ever experienced there.

*Five in Five is where we catch up with an Interrupter to ask five questions in five minutes. It may have taken us (way) longer than five minutes to have this conversation. But it shouldn’t take you longer than five minutes to read it, so we think it still counts.