Sarah Edwards is obsessed with the word “sonder” – the profound feeling of realizing that everyone has a life as vivid and complex as one’s own – and it makes sense given that she loves community and bringing people together. As a connector, a creative, a storyteller, an influencer and a self-described empath, Sarah Edwards uses her skills to bridge people together. She views social media as her main tool to stay connected, all while sharing her life — the good and the bad — with countless followers. But making herself so approachable and accessible has its drawbacks.

In this episode, Sarah and co-hosts Nadege Souvenir and Melanie Hoffert discuss the pros and cons of being a public figure on social media, the lure of connection and even the power that fashion has to start conversations.

Links

Follow Sarah on Instagram

Some Great People website

Fashion Week MN website

Nadege Souvenir:

Welcome everyone to I So Appreciate You!, a raw, funny and uniquely insightful podcast about the issues and opportunities we all face as values-based leaders and humans. I'm Nadege.

Melanie Hoffert:

And I'm Melanie. We're colleagues at the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, and we're friends. When we get together our conversations can go anywhere, especially when bringing a friend or two along for the ride.

Nadege Souvenir:

So we're inviting you to join us and some incredible guests as we explore the challenges and triumphs of people shaking up our community for the better.

Welcome listeners, we have a great show today. I'm super excited, Melanie.

Melanie Hoffert:

We do.

Nadege Souvenir:

We are going to be joined today by Sarah Edwards, a connector, an influencer, and an artist, and probably I could list a few more things after that, but-

Melanie Hoffert:

Yes, she does a lot.

Nadege Souvenir:

I know, I know. I'm so looking forward to that conversation.

Melanie Hoffert:

Yeah, we're going to get there, but we have a bonus guest today, a special guest. I am privileged to be sitting looking at a mother-daughter duo. Addison is joining us today. How are you, Addison?

Addison:

I'm good.

Melanie Hoffert:

This is Nadege's daughter.

Addison:

Hello. Hello.

Melanie Hoffert:

We basically are pulling her onto this show because it's going to be so fun to-

Nadege Souvenir:

And she's our first live, in studio audience. It's exciting.

Melanie Hoffert:

Exactly, exactly.

Nadege Souvenir:

This is a milestone all the way-

Melanie Hoffert:

Yeah. We want lots of screaming and clapping, please.

Addison:

Woo.

Melanie Hoffert:

Okay. Thank you. Have you listened to the podcast, your mother-

Addison:

I have.

Melanie Hoffert:

Okay.

Addison:

Of course.

Melanie Hoffert:

Well, how do you think she does, first of all?

Addison:

I think she is great. All my friends are very impressed that my mom has a podcast. It kind of gives her a lot of cool points.

Melanie Hoffert:

Aw. This is great. Oh, good. All right, Addison, you then, since you listen, will know that we do these three questions, get guests warmed up-

Addison:

Yes.

Melanie Hoffert:

... So we're going to play this today with you and your mom and see how well your mom knows you. All right?

Addison:

Oh.

Melanie Hoffert:

Okay. So pause before you answer, we'll have her write down her answer, and then we'll reveal.

Addison:

Sounds good.

Melanie Hoffert:

Okay. The first one, fly or drive. Got it, Nadege? Okay. We're good.

Addison:

I would say drive, I think. I do love my car. She's had some tough times recently. We just went to get it fixed, so I feel especially attached to my car right now.

Melanie Hoffert:

Oh, it's a connection then.

Addison:

Has a pink, fluffy steering wheel cover. So it's a nice space to be in.

Melanie Hoffert:

Oh, that's great. Okay, mom?

Nadege Souvenir:

All right. So this one was hard because Addison likes to go places.

Addison:

I do.

Nadege Souvenir:

Likes to visit cities, so flying is the only way to get there. I forgot that her car is a she, and it's got a name and all of that.

Addison:

Her name is Ruby.

Melanie Hoffert:

Oh, Ruby.

Nadege Souvenir:

So I screwed this one up and I said fly.

Addison:

I do like travel, though.

Melanie Hoffert:

We need a buzzer.

Nadege Souvenir:

But my reasoning was sound, I know.

Addison:

Correct.

Nadege Souvenir:

And also maybe I'm the one who helped take care of Ruby in this last round-

Addison:

It is true.

Nadege Souvenir:

... So maybe I'm feeling a little bit of what kind of ways about the-

Melanie Hoffert:

Yeah. Ruby. Ruby.

Addison:

That is very true. Thanks, mom.

Melanie Hoffert:

Ruby and mom have a strained relationship right now. All right. Our next question, mornings or late nights?

Addison:

Oh. Nights.

Melanie Hoffert:

All right. What'd you?

Nadege Souvenir:

Yeah, late night.

Melanie Hoffert:

Okay. All right. Our last question, cook in or eat out. Okay, Nadege is thinking, just writing down something.

Addison:

That's a tricky one.

Melanie Hoffert:

All right.

Addison:

This could change depending on the day.

Melanie Hoffert:

Sure.

Addison:

I feel like. But I think that if I have all of the things that I want, I do like to cook, I do. I just feel like oftentimes I don't have the supplies I need, so then I can get the things I want more easily eating out. So that was not really an answer.

Melanie Hoffert:

So your answer is?

Addison:

I'll say cook right now. I think specifically right now, being home cooking.

Melanie Hoffert:

All right.

Nadege Souvenir:

Okay. So I think all of that justifies my response of both.

Addison:

Yes.

Melanie Hoffert:

Oh, yeah. No, I'd say you two are pretty aligned right there. There's a lot of waffling, wavering.

Addison:

There was a lot of waffling, for sure. Food in any form I'm happy with.

Melanie Hoffert:

Yeah. Wonderful. So since you are our bonus guest, love to know a little bit about you.

Addison:

Oh, my goodness.

Melanie Hoffert:

What are you doing in life right now? Just give us a little preview or peek into the life of Addison.

Addison:

Yeah. Well, I am currently a college student at Knox College, small liberal arts school in Illinois. And I'm an elementary education major.

Melanie Hoffert:

Oh, excellent.

Addison:

So that's fun. And French and Theater minors. So lots of things going on all the time. But yeah, just finishing that up. It's my senior year, so almost done. Very excited about that.

Melanie Hoffert:

Oh, I see some parallels, theater. We're talking to a creative guest as we go into our next segments, so.

Nadege Souvenir:

Actually, we should probably talk to Addison about social media, because she probably knows it way better than we do.

Melanie Hoffert:

And there you go.

Nadege Souvenir:

TikTok, I need like 17 tutorials on that thing.

Melanie Hoffert:

I just re-upped... Listen to me. I don't even know what I'm saying. Gosh. I'm 112.

Addison:

No.

Melanie Hoffert:

No, I just started my TikTok again because I'm like, I'm missing a whole-

Nadege Souvenir:

Wait, you have a TikTok account?

Melanie Hoffert:

Yeah.

Nadege Souvenir:

What?

Melanie Hoffert:

I had one and then I didn't look at it for years and years now I'm like, no, I’ve got to get on TikTok because everybody's there. So I just-

Addison:

You got it.

Nadege Souvenir:

My mind is blown right now.

Melanie Hoffert:

So now I'm on TikTok.

Addison:

Good.

Melanie Hoffert:

I might start a Melanie TikTok.

Nadege Souvenir:

Yeah.

Addison:

I think you should.

Nadege Souvenir:

I will never see it because I'm not on TikTok unless you're one of those people who kindly repost it, Instagram-

Addison:

On Instagram reels.

Melanie Hoffert:

Yes, a reel. Okay. So Addison, tell us where should we be? Where are your peers? Where are people communicating in social media land?

Addison:

I guess TikTok is a place. I don't post that often, but I'm scrolling all the time. Instagram will always be a staple of social media I feel like, for me. And then my most current one I would say is BeReal. It tells you to take a photo at a random time every day.

Melanie Hoffert:

I'm writing this down.

Addison:

And it kind of connects you to your friends. You see a glimpse of their life at that time. So it'll be a random notification at say, 2:00 PM one day, 10:00 AM the next day. So it's supposed to be a little more real, hence the name.

Melanie Hoffert:

Oh, I kind of like that because when Facebook started way back, it was kind of in real time. You'd see the posts in the order that they came. I was like, oh, that's cool. Now it's just an algorithm. Well, this is really enlightening. Did you know about BeReal?

Nadege Souvenir:

I think I've heard about BeReal.

Addison:

She's been in some of my pictures.

Nadege Souvenir:

I think I've been in some of her BeReals. I'm like, what's happening? My pictures being taken. I'm like, who's seeing this picture?

Addison:

Everybody and anybody. Just kidding.

Melanie Hoffert:

Is anybody on Facebook in your world?

Addison:

I'm only on Facebook for family pretty much. And some random Facebook groups. I have a college meme account that sometimes funny things on, but I can't tell you the last time I posted something on Facebook unless I was trying to get people to buy tickets for a show I was in.

Nadege Souvenir:

So there you have it.

Melanie Hoffert:

And this is kind of serious. So just because we're going to be talking about the impact of social media and mental health with Sarah, just curious your perspective on how it has impacted maybe your generation positively or negatively.

Addison:

Yeah, I feel like most of my growing up I've had some sort of social media or access like that and thinking about the way that how I've used those platforms has changed over time just in terms of not comparing yourself to others when posting. And I don't know, there was a whole time period of, I knew friends that were editing their photos to change their body and things like that. And that has a big impact on how you see yourself. So I think that it definitely has taken a toll because we have so much more access to think that everyone has a perfect life. I only post the parts of my life that are fun online. I'm not posting sad things, so I have to assume that's the same for everyone else. But it doesn't always feel like that, so.

Melanie Hoffert:

Yeah. Thank you for that insight.

Addison:

Yeah.

Nadege Souvenir:

It's such a complex and fascinating space and watching Addison navigate her social media compared to... We're on the same platform and even how we use it, it's so different because none of that is organic and natural to you and me, as she pointed out. She's kind of been there, then-

Melanie Hoffert:

Known it forever.

Nadege Souvenir:

... The generations that follow, some of these little babies are on those iPads just like-

Addison:

IPad kids.

Nadege Souvenir:

... Swiping back and forth. So I don't know, hopefully Sarah can give us some insights on how to navigate that because she's kind of a pro.

Melanie Hoffert:

Yeah. I'm excited to talk to her and really appreciate, Addison, you being here for our opening. It's been really fun.

Addison:

Yes, I'm excited to listen to Sarah.

Melanie Hoffert:

Art In This Present Moment is an initiative of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation that supports the work of BIPOC artists throughout Minnesota. Through their craft, these artists honor their communities and aim to challenge and change dominant narratives. Meet this year's artist and view their work in our digital art gallery at spmcf.org/art.

Nadege Souvenir:

Welcome back. We are so excited to have Sarah Edwards here with us right now. Hi, Sarah.

Sarah Edwards:

Hi. Thanks for having me.

Nadege Souvenir:

Thanks for joining us. There's just so much we could say about you. So I just picked three random things just so that for the folks who don't know you, they can get to know you a little bit better. So Sarah is the CEO of Some Great People, a creative marketing agency. She's the co-founder and CEO of Fashion Week Minnesota. And one of my favorite things about you is Sarah is also an artist.

Sarah Edwards:

Trying to get comfortable with that title, but yes.

Nadege Souvenir:

Yeah, that's a little bit why I said it.

Sarah Edwards:

Yes, thank you. No, I appreciate it.

Nadege Souvenir:

Because you should own it because you are an artist.

Sarah Edwards:

I'm trying to.

Melanie Hoffert:

We're definitely going to dig into that today. But just to get started, we have a little routine that we go through. Three questions we're going to ask you, would love to know your answer on the following: Sarah, messy or tidy?

Sarah Edwards:

Messy.

Melanie Hoffert:

Ooh, good answer. Good answer. Yes. Football or basketball?

Sarah Edwards:

Basketball.

Melanie Hoffert:

There's something there, right? Basketball. Were you a basketball player?

Sarah Edwards:

I was, yep. I love basketball. It's kind of a big part of my life.

Melanie Hoffert:

And do you watch?

Sarah Edwards:

Yep. They played amazing last night. The 150 points. It's like a record lead. The Timberwolves, sorry.

Melanie Hoffert:

Oh, thank you. Yeah, yeah. Okay. They? Who are the theys? And our last question, I'm very excited to hear this one. Sneakers or heels?

Sarah Edwards:

Sneakers. Always.

Melanie Hoffert:

Okay, good, good. Great.

Nadege Souvenir:

We were looking at your bio and there's this line where you're described as a connector, a creative, a storyteller, and an influencer. You now need to add artists to that. Okay. But for those people who don't know you, how would you describe what you do?

Sarah Edwards:

That's a great question. I was thinking about that question recently because there's the things you do and then there's the things that pay your bills. A lot of the stuff I do that I love are different. So when I think of the word or the term connector, it's more than just connecting people. It's kind of connecting it could be businesses, brands, nonprofits, missions. What I like to do is meet with a lot of different types of people and take a lot...

One of my favorite questions to ask when I have coffee with people is like, what do you need help with? Because it doesn't matter who you are, how successful you are, you always need help with something; and it might just be a connection. And then I like learning what people are working on and trying to be like oh, you need to connect with this person who's working on this thing. So I get a lot of joy when connecting people because it can really help. I know for me, when I get connected to someone or something that is really valuable, it can really, sounds cheesy, but change your life. So I really like to connect people.

Melanie Hoffert:

You mentioned social media, that's one of the main platforms. And of course you're an influencer and I feel like I know you because I'm sitting here with Sarah Edwards in the Flesh, but we were talking about before the segment how social media for all of us can be such a beautiful thing. It is a place where we connect, we learn, we see great things happen in the world. And then there's the dark side, the way that social media can impact our mental health and particularly with younger children. And so, just sort of curious how you balance that or think about it. And I know that you really sort of talk about mental health on your channel, so if we could go there, that's a lot, but we can take it piece by piece.

Sarah Edwards:

Well, I balance it terribly. I'd strive to have a better relationship. The thing is, like you said, social media I've seen can do incredible things. It helps people find people that they have things in common with, make them feel like they can be connected. It helps small businesses with their marketing. And there's so many good things and there's so many terrible things. It can cause depression and anxiety, comparison. So I think I'm going to say a lot of cheesy things today, but I do really think it has to start with your inner health. You have to be in a good place mentally and spiritually before you go on social media. Because if you're not, it can really drag you down. And I think too, there's this quote that I was listening to in a different podcast actually, because a lot of things with social media, people can ruin your day in a matter of seconds. And that's terrifying.

I'll never forget, I put on this fashion show and it was all about celebrating aging. And all of my models were ages like 65; I think my oldest model was like 99. And the whole purpose of the show was to celebrate beauty and style at every age and it could be 99% positive comments, people, whatever. And that one person ruined it for me. And that's when I'm like, I have to get thicker skin because she said something really snobby and it made me feel terrible and I couldn't listen to anything good that anyone said. And so, if I'm going to be doing these things... I don't have thick skin, so those little things still bother me, but I've gotten better. But the thing I was going to say, and I hope this helps someone else, is that it only hurts if you believe it to be true. So that comment, if I believe that, then it would be really hurtful.

I was joking the other day with a friend, if someone was like, "Sarah is a really stuck up snob, whatever." I'm like, I just don't believe that. But if someone was like, "She's kind of a space cadet." Yeah, that's true. That doesn't actually hurt me, but I would say that is true. So I think that with social media you kind of have to just have a good sense of self before, and especially when you're out there, people come for you and it's intense.

Melanie Hoffert:

A short follow up on that, because you use a platform and so many of us do, but you in particular, can you take breaks from it?

Sarah Edwards:

You know what's interesting about that? Yes and no. I think what's been interesting too, is when you are expected to comment on everything or have... And I think too, it's becoming to a point where I'm like, I want to read about this before I have anything to say; I'm not a news outlet, I don't have all of the information. And I think sometimes that's been kind of tricky. There was a time I took a couple break. I think I took two weeks off social media and it was during a time that the hashtag Stop Asian Hate was trending or something. And I came back with all of these nasty messages in my inbox because I wasn't...

And then we talk about performative, it's nuanced, right? Because I do believe in speaking and using a platform, but I also believe that sometimes, now we're going really into it right away, but that can also be problematic. If I just go on social media and be like, I'm going to say this thing and then I'm going to get back off of it. So I don't know. My point being that I try to take breaks sometimes, but then it can be weird, too. So I don't know. I haven't figured it out.

Nadege Souvenir:

Does it create? I've just been thinking this season we've talked to a lot of entrepreneurs, we've talked to a lot of folks, and by virtue of being an entrepreneur, it's almost like a 24-7, 365 job. But then you add to that a social media presence which the average person uses for their personal fun and joy, whatever. But you're using it for a combination of work, of some of the community service that you do. Is there a way that you can sort of be active but maintain, you've talked about it a little bit, but maintain your boundaries and your sense of self?

Sarah Edwards:

Yeah, I'm working on that. It is really tricky. We should just record my next therapy appointment, but it's trying to figure out how to have... Because I know that for me in particular, social media is really important for what I do for work, but also what I do for connecting people. I know that I get access to certain rooms, to certain conversations, to certain relationships, whatever because I'm a public figure. I'm aware of that. So then if I were to just go completely silent or go offline, I feel like I wouldn't be able to do as much with what I can.

So it's kind of that balance of what are the pros of what I get for being out there and how much is it hurting my mental health, and trying to find that balance. I think to your point, being an entrepreneur, you're on 24-7, and I had a really hard personal year this year. And I felt like I literally couldn't take a break. And that was really depressing because there wasn't a substitute where I was like, "Okay, you go in, I'm going to take some time off." I couldn't. And that was probably the hardest part of managing.

Nadege Souvenir:

I just want to acknowledge that you said it in an off-hand way about your therapist, but I love that you said it so casually. I want people to realize it's just a thing. It's like I went to my dentist.

Sarah Edwards:

Yes, exactly. I think we should go to therapy when we're not at our lowest. Talk about these things and I think finding a therapist, too, that you can really connect with is important.

Melanie Hoffert:

Wow. We could go down the therapy road. I'm going to grab onto that though and go into Fashion Week a little bit. Just for myself, I have to admit fashion can be very intimidating.

Sarah Edwards:

Oh, yes.

Melanie Hoffert:

And scary. In fact, I had to get ready for, I think it was a gala, and I'm in the dressing room texting Nadege with pictures of everything. I'm like, I look like crap.

Sarah Edwards:

No.

Melanie Hoffert:

But I'm like, Nadege, what do I wear? So that tells you where I'm at. However, in being introduced to Fashion Week and you, there's an alignment with the foundation values. It's advocating for equity and you talked about doing a fashion show that was around age and aging. And I know that other topics including mental health find their way into the themes that you curate. And I wondered if you could talk a little bit about how you use fashion as a tool for social change?

Sarah Edwards:

Yeah, definitely. What fashion has always done is it allows me to have a conversation. And I think when I was really digging into because, not today, but I usually have pretty loud style and I was trying to understand if that's because when I dress a certain way that's kind of loud, a lot of times they'll be like, "Oh, cool jacket or I like your basketball purse," and then I can engage back. So I feel like the way I dress allows people to engage with me, which is at the end of the day, I like connecting with people. I grew up in northern Minnesota in a small town and I had a single mom. We didn't have much money so we did a lot of thrifting and a lot of garage sales. But I'm grateful for that because I was able to develop a sense of style. I wasn't wearing a $70 Abercrombie sweatshirt or anything.

And I think that enabled me to explore fashion as a creative outlet. I'm not going to brag, I got voted best dressed with my vintage and my thrift, whatever, but-

Melanie Hoffert:

I'm not surprised.

Sarah Edwards:

... But that gave me confidence that I didn't know I had. So for me, I guess with Fashion Week and everything, it's like I wanted other people to feel like exploring your sense of self can be really fun and give you confidence, not the other way around where you have to wear this. And sometimes I feel bad or guilty because I'm not anti-trend, but I just feel like you should wear whatever makes you feel good. And I think sometimes it's like this is the color of the season or this is the... Who cares. So I think sometimes I probably piss people off that I'm the co-founder of Fashion Week because I think other people would maybe do it differently. It's not just about people feeling welcome, it's about people feeling celebrated. And I think it's like we don't want just to have the bare minimum of, oh this is a space where you feel welcome. You're not only feel welcome, but you're going to feel really, really cool and really great about yourself and people are going to celebrate your unique, distinct style.

Melanie Hoffert:

Well, I appreciate that because I left my house this morning with boots my wife hates. They're these rubbery winter boots. I'm like, I know Sarah's not going to judge me.

Sarah Edwards:

Oh, God, no.

Melanie Hoffert:

So here I am in my boots and I'm feeling good about myself.

Nadege Souvenir:

Sarah, when I listen to you talk and even just on your social media platforms, one of the things that's really clear is that you care about other people deeply in a specific and general sense. Even just how you talked about what Fashion Week is and what it should be in Minnesota. And I don't remember the first time I ever noticed you post the word sonder.

Sarah Edwards:

Oh, yeah. Oh, man.

Nadege Souvenir:

And I remember you posted about it and I was like, what is that word? That's fascinating. And I know now it probably is taking on deeper meaning, which we'll get to, but I'd like to read the definition or-

Sarah Edwards:

Please.

Nadege Souvenir:

... The one I found and then just have you share why that resonated because it seemed to have spoken to you.

Sarah Edwards:

Yeah, I'll probably start crying right now.

Nadege Souvenir:

Oh, no. No, I don't want to be responsible for making guests cry.

Sarah Edwards:

No. I do like this word.

Nadege Souvenir:

So I found this definition and I hope it's not super long, but-

Sarah Edwards:

Yeah, it's good.

Nadege Souvenir:

... Those listeners. Sonder: the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own, populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries, and inherited craziness. An epic story that continues invisibly around you, like an anthill sprawling deep underground with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you'll never know existed. In which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk.

Melanie Hoffert:

Where did you get that definition? Nadege's Special Dictionary. That is gorgeous.

Sarah Edwards:

Who wrote that? It's such a mysterious word to me. I don't even care if it's... I don't know. I'm just obsessed with that paragraph. So sonder, the reason I love that so much is being a human being is so complex all day, every day. You truly never know the depth of what someone might be experiencing at any given moment. For me, I think that, and the reason I'm passionate about this, the more people that are kind of in that mindset of you never know the complexity of the human next to you is what they're going through. And they might be pretending and holding it all together and it could be... You just don't know. And it's just fascinating to me how we're all interacting all the time in all of these spaces, either directly or indirectly.

Nadege Souvenir:

So the other reason I bring up sonder is because I'm going to take us back full circle to me calling you an artist.

Sarah Edwards:

Yes.

Nadege Souvenir:

And sonder is the name of an upcoming art... I don't even know what to call it.

Sarah Edwards:

I know.

Nadege Souvenir:

It just seems so fascinatingly cool. But we are going to get to see Sarah Edwards, the artist. Can you talk about being an artist a little bit?

Sarah Edwards:

I can because, okay, so this is hilarious. Growing up, I was terrified of the arts because you just hear the word starving artists. When I was going to go to college, I was like, oh, I have to be a... What should I be? A mechanical engineer. They have stability, they have jobs. So it's like, imagine me as an engineer. But art was absolutely not. That is a hobby. You know what I mean? And so art has been weirdly something I'm terrified of. Terrifying. And I love art and artists, it's a big part of my life. I love celebrating artists, but for me to do art has always been something that's very scary. So this year when my life was blowing up, I was like, why not? So I started. And I've always painted and done things, but it's just been whatever.

And so I started painting this year and it's literally, not saved my life, but it's been very much something I didn't realize I needed. And so it's been a lot of painting, and for me, for better or for worse, having a goal or something I'm working towards. So painting, painting, painting, been like, okay, I think maybe, you know what, I think I'm going to do an art show. And I was like, eh, I don't want to do just an art show like, come look at my art. I was like, what am I passionate about? Well, I'm passionate about community. I love bringing lots of different types of people together in a space, now that we can do that; I don't want to ever say we're out of the pandemic, but we can gather. And I think that I am always in amazed by the amount of talent we have here in the Twin Cities with artists.

And I also feel like I know a lot of people that maybe aren't as well known that I want to amplify. So this thing evolved and it kind of took on a life of its own. And trust me, when I started this, I'm a, what's it called? A masochist? Is that when you put pain on yourself?

Nadege Souvenir:

Yeah, I think that's the right word.

Melanie Hoffert:

Yes. That would be it.

Sarah Edwards:

Can I say that? That I'm a masochist because I'm already don't have time or energy to put on this event, but when I set my mind to something I'm like, I'll do it and I'll figure it out. So sonder, this events in February, 2023. The reason I chose February is it's one of the most depressing times to live in Minnesota, I think. We're all like, "Why do we live here?"

Nadege Souvenir:

That's true.

Melanie Hoffert:

Yes, yes.

Sarah Edwards:

It's dark at four o'clock in the afternoon, it's 30 below, you don't want to leave your couch. So I wanted to do an event that brought all different artists together of different mediums. And I approached the Chambers Boutique Art Hotel. I was like, "I want to take over your hotel, the entire thing for a night, and I want to fill it with people and art and music and fashion and food and whatever." And he was like, "Okay." And I think that what's been fun is I didn't have the word sonder in mind when I was concepting all of this.

So I was like this, what is this event? It doesn't make any sense. It's just a bunch of artists? And then knowing how much I love this word and knowing what I want people to take away from this event is just the complexity of the human experience at any given moment. And what better way to do that than through art? And so basically the brief I gave the artist was the paragraph sonder and how do you interpret that through-

Melanie Hoffert:

Oh, great.

Sarah Edwards:

... Through your art? And so each artist had to put together what they're going to do. And my big goal is that people come to this event, and we're going to market the crap out of the artist and stuff like that. But I really, really want people to support and build relationships with these artists. I had all the artists say what are you hoping to get out of this event. Are you hoping to find an investor? Are you hoping to find a retail space? I want this to be a connection hub to help the artists thrive and know that we have so much talent here. We don't have to go to LA or New York or wherever. We just need to support the artists through funding and through other ways.

So it'll be cool because I'll tease a little bit. One room in the hotel will be, there's a sculptor who does these incredible sculptures and then there's also going to be live opera in the penthouse.

Melanie Hoffert:

Wow.

Sarah Edwards:

So you'll wander up there and then you might go downstairs and there's a mini fashion show with a spoken word artist. And then you might go into a different room and it's a cool, augmented reality projection of a film. So that's why it's hard to describe.

Nadege Souvenir:

I think you're describing it perfectly,

Melanie Hoffert:

Perfectly.

Sarah Edwards:

Okay, great.

Melanie Hoffert:

And it sounds a lot like, well obviously because that's the point, but the underground, the ants, the tunnels.

Sarah Edwards:

Yes.

Melanie Hoffert:

I'm seeing this in human form.

Sarah Edwards:

Yes.

Melanie Hoffert:

All of these different pockets, you can step into a completely different universe within the same space.

Sarah Edwards:

A lot of the artists too, that work in commercial spaces, they might do a lot of video work for brands and they might do floral arrangements for weddings. I was like, what if there was an event where you had no rules other than what you want to share with your perspective? And the only brief is how do you interpret this word? So I think sometimes as creatives, I do a lot of work in marketing and stuff, I always dream of if someone would be like, here's no rules, what do you got? You know what I mean?

So I'm hoping that people can really get wild with everything. And the hashtag, one of them is let's get weird. I think that when we're little kids, we have more freedom to just be our weird, authentic selves. And we're not afraid; this goes back to the social media stuff; and the older we get, we have to close up and close up and then you're walking around like a robot because that's expected.

So I really do want Sonder, this event, to be kind of a safe space for people to get weird. And when I say weird, I mean however you interpret that. So I just don't want people a lot of times with events are like, "Sarah, what do I wear to this?" And I always struggle answering that because if you want to wear those boots, wear are those boots. If you feel good in those, you know what I mean? Whatever you feel good in, that's more important than trying to fit a dress code, per se. I want a kid with a huge blue mohawk standing next to a woman in a Tom Ford suit. That brings me a lot of joy. So I just really want it to be an eclectic group of people truly expressing themselves. I'm very excited for it.

Melanie Hoffert:

I need to be there.

Sarah Edwards:

I'm super anxious because it's coming up really quick.

Melanie Hoffert:

You mentioned childhood; I love the no rules part; and one of my fondest memories as a kid was when our teacher would take all the scraps from all of the, you cut out the shapes, all the scraps, strings, sticks, pour it in the middle of the wooden floor. I think this was first grade, and then we could go grab whatever we wanted and make whatever we want on Friday. So every day was structured except for this one day. And it reminds me of that.

Sarah Edwards:

Yes.

Melanie Hoffert:

People can just be free.

Sarah Edwards:

Yes.

Melanie Hoffert:

And what comes of that is so magical. And I just have to say, I've been following your art making. It's beautiful.

Sarah Edwards:

Thanks.

Melanie Hoffert:

The big form, beautiful colors. You're very talented. So how many pieces will you have at this show?

Sarah Edwards:

Okay, so this is nuts. I am going to have 17 paintings that are pretty large, but then I'm also, I'm like going to take a big breath before I say this, but I'm launching a fashion brand.

Melanie Hoffert:

Oh.

Sarah Edwards:

It's just funny trying to pull this all off. If I'm being completely honest, fashion's always been a big part of my life, obviously. And I love sketching and pulling things together and I have a lot of ideas. But I'm taking some of my paintings and I printed it on fabric and then I'm taking the fabric and turning it into-

Melanie Hoffert:

Oh, wow.

Sarah Edwards:

... Suits and dresses and head scarves. And so I hope it turns out. I mean, it might be a huge disaster, but I'll try.

Melanie Hoffert:

No. I doubt that. I doubt it.

Nadege Souvenir:

Cannot even imagine a scenario where that would be true.

Sarah Edwards:

There's this artist I am obsessed with, I think he's out of New York, his name is KidSuper and he's kind of my north star right now. I like him because he is kind of quirky and he doesn't take himself too seriously, so I like that about him. But he is a painter, so he does all of these beautiful art pieces. But then he does fashion and then he does brand partnerships and he did this show that's similar where he had all of his art up and then the mannequins with the different fashion next to it. So it's kind of what I'm envisioning. So now I have to find a bunch of mannequins, if anyone knows where I can find those.

Melanie Hoffert:

That's a call.

Nadege Souvenir:

Oh, my goodness. Call out-

Melanie Hoffert:

My mannequins.

Nadege Souvenir:

You've got mannequins.

Sarah Edwards:

My Google searches are, take so weird. I was like, nine mannequin heads.

Nadege Souvenir:

That could be a whole other episode.

Sarah Edwards:

Yes.

Nadege Souvenir:

We could talk to you probably all day and go down a number of these rabbit holes and passageways. But you are clearly a very busy woman. We want to give you back your day.

Sarah Edwards:

Oh, gosh.

Nadege Souvenir:

Thank you so much for-

Sarah Edwards:

Thank you.

Melanie Hoffert:

What a pleasure.

Sarah Edwards:

This was fun. Thank you so much.

Melanie Hoffert:

Wow, that was fun.

Nadege Souvenir:

That was so much fun. There's just so much to unpack there.

Melanie Hoffert:

Yes.

Nadege Souvenir:

I'm still a little stuck on the let's get weird. I love the idea about thinking about that in the sense of when we were five.

Melanie Hoffert:

Yes. Just creative spirit when you don't have all of the rules that we have day in and day out. I really appreciated that.

Nadege Souvenir:

Yeah, so did I.

Melanie Hoffert:

And it seems like for her, that let's get weird translates into her being able to do all of these many different things that are sort of connected, but not really. And I love that piece of today's conversation because I'm inspired to go... She was talking about art and being an artist and just doing this massive art show. What if new ideas could blossom for all of us in this way? That would be pretty amazing.

Nadege Souvenir:

I mean, could you imagine what a better world this would be if we all thought about sonder?

Melanie Hoffert:

Yes.

Nadege Souvenir:

And then also all of the connections that we have the power to activate.

Melanie Hoffert:

I had another insight, Nadege, I think you might appreciate. We've talked a little bit about as sort of self-described or proclaimed introverts, I want to say intranet today for some reason. We're not intranets, we're introverts. That social networking isn't always the most comfortable or natural, at least I'll speak for myself. And when I was listening to Sarah today, I was thinking about how, in ways, social media removes that barrier a little bit. For those of us who are comfortable on social media, but going into a room takes a lot of energy. So I was curious what you thought about that or what you think about that.

Nadege Souvenir:

No, I think you're totally right because it's a way that you can engage with somebody asynchronously. So you don't have to sort of have the pressure of 5:00 PM Tuesday at such and such hotel ballroom. You can just sort of do it when it makes sense. I will say, however, there is a low key introvert's most terrifying nightmare situation that happens here is that you can become friends with somebody on social media and then encounter them in real life and they recognize you and you don't recognize them.

Melanie Hoffert:

Yes. Well, Nadege is probably more in that category. She's a little bit of a celebrity.

Nadege Souvenir:

Not even a little bit, but I'm just saying as an introvert and also somebody who is always working hard to remember names, that's the low key terrifying thing that I will be at the grocery store and someone will be like, "Nadege, hey, we chatted on..." And I'll be like, "What?"

Melanie Hoffert:

No, we have a PSA to make right now. Listen, all of us need to just introduce ourselves and say our names. We're all busy. We all have a lot of people that we have to remember. Just when you walk up to someone, say, "Hello, Melanie," I'm talking to you. I'm introducing myself. Then I would just take that pressure off. That happens all the time. We can't all remember names.

Nadege Souvenir:

That totally does. And I don't know how we got to my inability to remember from Sarah's great conversation, but I think it just ultimately-

Melanie Hoffert:

She's allowing us to be weird right now.

Nadege Souvenir:

And it boils down to connection. Let's just make it easier to connect with each other.

Melanie Hoffert:

I agree.

Nadege Souvenir:

Thank you for listening to I So Appreciate You. You can find us on Facebook at I So Appreciate You Podcast and on Twitter and Instagram at soappreciateyou.

Melanie Hoffert:

We'd also appreciate you taking a moment to write us a review. And if you like our show, be sure to follow I So Appreciate You! on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening to us right now.

Nadege Souvenir:

Have a question or topic suggestion? Email us at podcast@spmcf.org. Thank you for listening to I So Appreciate You!