Meet Cynthia Hagedorn. You may have seen her multiple ArtPrize entries, Leadership on Canvas, and Story StROLL event. Cynthia joins Shelley Irwin on Powerful Women: Let’s Talk to discuss her art, entrepreneurial endeavors, leadership, service, and more – including her chicken colleagues.
Powerful Women: Let’s Talk is created by WGVU NPR and made possible by WGVU NPR sustaining monthly donors. Become a sustaining monthly donor now at wgvu.org/donate to support WGVU NPR’s local programs, including Powerful Women: Let’s Talk.
Full Transcript:
[Music]
Narrator: Produced by women, about women. Powerful Women: Let's Talk is a series of interviews with women who are trailblazers and have helped shape our world transforming who we are and how we live.
[Music]
Shelley Irwin: She's a self-described West Michigan artist and social entrepreneur. Meet Cynthia Hagedorn owner and “EP,” we'll tell you what that means, of Square Peg events. You've seen her multiple Art Prize entries, Leadership on Canvas, plus a recent Story Stroll was a hit. But we must ask her about her most unique niche; professional chicken hugger. Welcome, Cynthia, to Powerful Women: Let's Talk.
Cynthia Hagedorn: Thank you for having me on.
SI: You have chickens on the farm?
CH: I do. I have three new babies too, they're just wonderful.
SI: Whatever motivates an artist…
CH: They’re my inspiration. I call them my colleagues.
SI: Let’s start with “artist” - did you pick up crayon at a young age?
CH: Actually, I feel like I've always been a creative. My whole family is in the creative realm. But it wasn’t until I was home with kids where, probably between the ages of four and eight, that I started working with them with the arts, wanting them to benefit from the arts. So I started painting something with them. And next thing I know they are running off and I was still painting and then I kept painting. Next thing I know I looked at a wall and I thought “I'm going to pay this wall.” So I was really interested in it so it took a few different refresher courses. And before I knew it, I was painting everything and never looked back.
SI: And what do you paint?
CH: I paint with acrylic paints and chalk and my style has changed quite a bit because I used have been a lot of conformity, in squares, and just more in the last couple years, I would say four or five years, opened it up quite a bit. And it's really evolved. And so I don't even use brushes anymore. I use my hands, I use cards, cloth, things like that, paint balls, paint everything.
SI: Was there professional training? Did you say “I need to get a degree in art”?
CH: No, I don't. And, you know, I have a high respect for those that have the classical training in the fine arts because there's definitely benefits from that. For me, my journey wasn't about that and I'm self-taught, but I've had incredible supporting people in my life that have nurtured my change in some of my styles and the passions that I've had with in the arts. And so I personally have always looked at what I've done is I'm bringing what I need to talk and say to my art, to the table.
SI: Yes. Now what about the social entrepreneur side of you?
CH: Well, I think that’s just it with the arts in particular, art is a vehicle for connectivity. And to me, the arts are the expression for everyone to be able to talk. It's not just for an individual to say they're an exclusive artist, I mean, that may be their voice, but I look at as the whole is the art, that's the important part about bringing it out to the community. So as far as the entrepreneurial part, I think I’ve always been an entrepreneur, I’ve always wanted to work with different people in bringing community together. And it's how I make my living.
SI: Other hats you wear. First of all, you bring your art in the community, you share art with leaders. Tell me about your ArtPrize entry.
CH: Well, and I'm trying to think of what year would have been. It would have been 2014. It would have been because you're one of my first famous artist that painted with me. And that was the inaugural year where we threw it out and said, you know what? I'm going to paint with nine people that I know and respect. And that was through Kids Art fest, through the children's museum, that I have met you during that time. And so from there with I thought it was a one and done and by the encouragement, again, by the community leaders such as yourself to say: “let's see what we can do with this another year. So now we just finished or seventh year and it's been wonderful. Just the whole connectivity, again, with the art bringing community leaders to have their voice be shared amongst, you know, their colleagues, all of your colleagues, all of you rock stars and to be able to experience what art is like to put yourself on a canvas, put your, you know, ideas, concepts, vulnerabilities and show that to people. And that art is approachable.
SI: Yes. Care on Canvas, what’s this?
CH: Yes, as much as I love you rock stars, this is my full heart. Haha, I have to say, Care on Canvas, I would say, would be the sibling conversation from Leadership on Canvas. I actually was working with Helen DeVos Children's Hospital and working with kids in the hospital and then evolved from there because I started working with more adults, other children that were not necessarily in the hospital but had other situations in their life. And in the same time I was working with these community leaders for Leadership on Canvas and the conversations started morphing more towards how can I serve people year round. And to me, the closest thing to my heart of these kids in the hospital and people in general with health and life situations. So, I dove in and developed Care on Canvas and that's been going strong. This will be our sixth year for that. So we have ab big art show. Last year we had 44 people that were participating and we have different events that go on throughout the year.
SI: Square Peg Events?
CH: That is the LLC. That is an art enhanced event company. In Square Peg Events we do things that we did Story Stroll, which was our pilot. We did our pilot in Ada Village, which was a great success, I love the people in Ada Village, Kim Rantala was my partner in crime. She's the executive director of the Ada Business Association and they were our partnering en force as well as Kent District Library and it’s an accessible work of children's original art in an accessible path and so Square Peg events is the umbrella. And I produce it through Square Peg Events.
SI: Back to the property. What about brunching on the property? What's happening there?
CH: I want to say that’s my new thing, but that's been something I've been doing probably during COVID more so. I've been on a journey of whole food, plant based and I am in the process of getting certified as a chef for that. And I'm really excited about it. And so with that, I have this property that's 5 acres with my free-range colleagues. And I've been cooking and I also have all of these different programs that I've been doing like Monet and Van Gogh and pulling all of that together. I have a themed dinner, brunch or tea. And people come into that, I have up to like between six and twelve people sit down and create, maybe have brunch with me, depending on the situation. It's been it's been beautiful. Fun.
SI: So how do you stay motivated? How do you get up and say I'm going to wear this hat or that hat? How does another person follow this lead of yours?
CH: You know, it's funny because I've hit that asked me and you've asked me that before. And it is a challenging question. I feel like there's so much to do yet. And there's so much that I want to do. And how do I keep doing that? I think probably because I'm encouraged by it. By people encouraging me. So I want to encourage others. And, you know, it's really see kids in need adults in need, and I just feel like I want to do my part and to be able to help them. I want them to be able to have the benefits of the arts. And so when I get up, I feel like there are so many other people that are, how do you say that, like they need this in their life. And to me, it's just a challenge, not a challenge, it's an acceptance that I want to take every day, that, you know, to help them and serve them. So, to honest with you, I don't know how to answer that. Because I do, I get up every morning and I make organic free foods from my colleagues and my dogs and I make all my food, and you know what? It’s that ridiculous time in the morning. And I just, I love, I’m living the best I can.
SI: But what about these colleagues? I’m going to have to do a little more digging. These are not people that are hanging out on the property.
CH: No, these my free-range chickens and I got them during COVID or during, you know, the pandemic. My kids had move. My adult children had moved home. And they said, you know mom, if you're going to have these… I’ve always wanted chickens, you do it now because we're here and we can help you. And so I said, how about like 3? And we came home with 13. So, these little chicks, and it's been a loving, learning experience. But I really found the best part of it is these kids that come out, they might be a little bit afraid or a little apprehensive, even adults. And so as soon as they see these chickens they're just completely disarmed and they enjoy the experience of these chickens. So that's what's been motivating me with these chickens.
SI: Everyone needs a colleague on the property. All right. Fun facts. There was a moment where you, as teens, social water ski team? Bring me to this part of your life.
CH: So when I was in high school, there is a social water ski team. I grew up in Cadillac, Michigan. So there are several, you know, the two lakes there and my siblings were all on the team and one time, you talk about the Sweet 16, Haha, so we did pyramids, we do like different tricks. Well, the only thing I probably really have the experience or to be able to know as I was trained, how to do the pyramids, the big pyramids. So on my 16th birthday, they allowed me to be at the top of the pyramid and it was during lakefront days. And as we're coming around the front, I didn't know this because they couldn’t hear, but I climbed up to the top. And apparently they had just announced “there’s sweet Cindy Sue at Sweet 16” and I missed my footing. I fell, and everybody kind of crumbled into the water. And yeah, so there's my…
SI: They we're safe?
CH: We were all safe and it was actually laughed upon for years.
SI: Good memories. Why a plant based diet for you at this stage in your life?
CH: I did have a kidney scare. But honestly, I have found that especially where I live, you know, just nurturing the land and seeing what I have in abundance outside around me. That was a motivating force, the environment. But I have to say, I just feel better. I feel better. I know the value of a good, clean diet. That's not that I don't eat meat. I think a lot of people look at me like I’m a vegan. But I'm not. I just want to know as much information and provide food for others that I love. You know, I always say to my kids, not that I would never skip saying I love you, but the people that I don't know very well or even the people who do know - if I don't say I love you, I may say in the form of “are you hungry? Would you like a sandwich? Can I make you something to eat?” Because I feel like that's a nurturing part of any person that if they enjoy cooking and to me, I just wanted to be as wholesome as possible.
SI: Tell me, you mention the mentors, those perhaps who believed in you, how important is it to not discourage a child who wants to draw a lot?
CH: You know, it's interesting, I have a lot of parents to come to me and they'll talk to me about their child that loves to draw. And I think that's wonderful. And I would say keep going, keep letting them do that. But what I'll say is when were they creative? How are they creative? And I will talk to a parent and I will say your child is creative. And I use the analogy of like a sport is that you can say who's a basketball player, who's a swimmer, who's a runner, and if let's say they play tennis…and everyone's an athlete. So it doesn't mean that they have to play all of those sports. So in the arts I say you can draw, you can do water color, you can be all of these things, you can be a creative. You can be an artist and a creative and there's a time and a child's life where they decider or they are told that there are no longer an artist and it's typically because they can't draw. And so I always encourage parents and I encourage people around to say what it is that this person has just done, this creative, point that out to them: that was a creative way of looking at something, that was creative problem solving. Look at what you did in this room. Look at what you did with these people because creativity will be a lifetime. Where as an artist, where someone will say I can't draw, that isn’t important and creativity will solve problems and make the world better.
SI: And talk about supporting the individual artist.
CH: There are a lot of different artists in different ways whether they're classically trained or like a child that would come to me and I will support them to be able to nurture what they're doing. For example, Care on Canvas, they came in and they would paint this canvas and then they would have their art show. And I found that that was like a one, and then they're done. And so in order to continue that we decided to have a marketplace and in that marketplace was so they could create through the year, then have this sale, if they will, with her handmade goods. I found that just working with those kids and adults because they're part of it in order for that to encourage them to continue to grow, to do different things, try something, it might be something that you found and Pinterest, it might have said something that you saw at a show or, you know, a friend had made. Iencourage them to keep trying to create and to make things.
SI: Have you ever painted one of your colleagues?
CH: I did on my car. In fact, It's funny. You ask me that because was the first time, you know, I compete different things. And all the sudden it's like, okay, need to have a rooster on my car. I had like pictures and I just thought, okay. So this one kind of looks like a turkey so that I did another one. I was like, okay, this kind of looks like a rooster. So ended up painting two of them. Fun.
SI: Do you have a favorite painting?
CH: I have two favorite paintings…
SI: Because you have to like your own work, I trust.
CH: Yeah. I think that, and I know when I hit, when it hit that cord, like as Van Gogh would say that “high note” I can go okay, feel that resolution of like it's complete, usually, I'm a night painter and it's usually the next morning, like I will paint and it could be until two in the morning, and I get up in the morning and I'll say, okay, it's done or okay, I feel good about it. But I do have three paintings. One was this chair and I’ve never painted anything like…
SI: From a model?
CH: Yeah, ever again. So I have this chair. And then about two years later, I painted with a Van Gogh pallet and I did the same colors without the chair. And then two years later, almost to the day I painted another one and it's completely opened. And so I look at those. It's actually a triptych with three of them. I have two of them. The Middle one is at my friend’s, he had purchased it. So it's been so my two remaining paintings are still at my house and my kids want them.
SI: What remains on an artist's bucket list? Creatives bucket list? Does it ever end?
CH: No. I would say even as an entrepreneur there are so many things that I want to do. I have like five different projects in my mind brewing and I'm really excited about each one. So when you say what gets, you know, me motivated, I think there's sometimes people and books in their Audible, I feel like I have so many projects that it just keeps me motivated to continue on these quests to be able to serve other people and to help bring the arts to a full conversation.
SI: Have you ever made a mistake in a painting?
CH: I’ve made more mistakes…I have had more mistakes than successes.
SI: They say that's the secret to success.
CH: Yeah, it could be. Yeah.
SI: Cynthia Hagedorn, thank you. Keep up your great work.
CH: Thank you.
Narrator: Produced by women about women. These powerful podcast focus on powerful women and how their strength transforms who we are and how we live. Want to hear more Powerful Women: Let's talk? Get additional interviews at wgvu.org or wherever you get your podcast, please rate and subscribe. Powerful Women: Let's Talk is produced by WGVU at the Meijer Public Broadcast Center at Grand Valley State University. The views and opinions expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect those of WGVU, Its underwriters, or Grand Valley State University
[Music]
