Today we’d like to introduce you to Cin Salach.
Cin, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have been a poet my whole life, but it wasn’t until my son was born that my heart gave my brain permission to create a life was based on the gift the universe gave me…poetry…a life that would serve my family both financially and spiritually and bring greater love to the world. And so my business, poemgrown, was born shortly after my son was! Or at least the initial stirrings of it had begun…
Then a year or two later, a friend asked if I could donate something to a silent auction for her school and I donated a custom poem.
The woman who won it was a mom who asked me to write a poem for her daughter’s 7th birthday. I sat with her over tea and asked her questions about her daughter and their relationship, what she hoped her daughter would feel from the poem, and then looked at photographs of her, while I translated their story into a poem.
The email I received back from her was this: “Line three and I am crying already. BEST GIFT EVER!” That was the moment I knew that this was the path of my business and the next morning I woke up with the name “poemgrown”.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Well, it wouldn’t be very interesting if it was a smooth road! But I think most of the bumps have actually been curves…learning curves that needed to appear so I could grow and my business could become.
As a poet, the biggest learning curve has been becoming a business owner! Networking, accounting, marketing, social media have all challenged me to think outside of my comfort zone….but it has lead me to meet and work with some of the most amazing people who are business owners themselves! I knew Chicago as a poet, but now I am learning Chicago all over again as an entrepreneur and I have to say that it is equally rewarding…
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the poemgrown story. Tell us more about the business.
I write poetry to help people feel the power, the healing power, of being seen by the one they love. I write poetry to help people honor the threshold moments in their lives…to mark occasions of both joy and grief…to help people speak their hearts out loud…
Here is my official tagline: “poemgrown is commissioned poetry, written in collaboration with you, your life and your occasion.”
“Occasional poetry” is actually the oldest form of poetry and was a significant form of expression in ancient Greek and Roman culture. When there was a birth, a death, a wedding, a victory, a poet was hired to mark the occasion.
poemgrown seeks to bring back the importance of honoring your life’s occasions with a poem commissioned exclusively to mark the occasion.
I also LOVE collaboration and Chicago is full of amazing artists to create with… Because I want their commissioned poems to be something that inspires and feeds them every day, I work with ceramic artists, musicians, chefs, and most recently, a clothing designer, Lilla Barn, to turn commissioned poems into things my clients use every day: Bowls, mugs, paintings, cards, songs, scarves….to remind them they are loved deeply.
I am proud of that…
I am not sure what I am known for, but I can say what my clients share with me after they gift/receive their poems:
That they felt able to express their love, even when that love felt complicated or difficult, and that was a joyful and healing experience for both themselves and the person we grew a poem for… That they have never had someone be able to translate what they’re heartfelt into such a meaningful gift. That they felt like their love was heard.
That this poem will be something that honors and celebrates their love for their whole lives. And this: “In a culture where “stuff” comes and goes…it was a deeply gratifying process to work with Cin and to create something so personal and lasting.”
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Ooooohhhh….fun question!
I have always felt that I was pretty lucky to be born a poet…and then when my son was born, I thought “I get to be a poet and a mom?” I didn’t think I could get any luckier. When he was about 2 or 3, he asked me what the most powerful thing in the world was. He was thinking about weapons or monster trucks! But when I said “Love”, I saw it ripple through him and felt him feel the truth of that.
So now I think “I get to be a poet and a mom and have a business based on spreading love in the word? Yes, I do.
I am lucky to be surrounded by friends and family–a son who now says “We make our living with poems” and parents who believe in what I do… I am lucky to be a member of an extraordinary women’s business group called “Women Belong” who are teaching me and inspiring me in all things business..
And I am lucky to be a part of a poetry community in Chicago that is truly extraordinary. And I’m lucky to be doing this interview! Thank you!
Pricing:
- Commissioned poems begin at $185
Contact Info:
- Website: poemgrown.com
- Email: cin@poemgrown.com
Image Credit:
Laura Brown, Robert Grillo, Jookie Jill, Spider Meka
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
