Finding Serendipity In Nature, Community, And Making

A camera on a backyard bird feeder sparked an entire art series—then the community took notice. We sit down with exhibiting artist Glenda Hake to trace the winding path of a maker who blends painting, collage, masks, photography, and graphic design into a practice rooted in nature and fueled by curiosity. From foraging moss and grapevine to transforming empty bottles into lit fairy houses, Glenda shows how repurposed materials can carry stories as well as beauty.

We dive into the birth‑month birds concept and how each piece weaves together a bird, the month’s flower, and gemstone color for an instantly personal connection. Along the way, Glenda talks about winning 13 ribbons at the Canfield Fair, why local shows can outperform algorithms, and how a simple craft directory became a roadmap for opportunities across Ohio and beyond. She shares the reality of balancing full‑time work with weekend photography gigs, a growing line of pet portrait commissions, and the practical routines that keep her studio momentum alive.

Glenda opens up about stepping back from photography to recover creative energy, then booking out once fall arrived. We explore the thrill of learning new skills like felting and pottery, the pros and cons of not selling on major platforms after an unexpected Etsy ban, and the serendipity of a radio interview that connected her to our gallery. If you’re an artist, maker, or art lover, you’ll leave with ideas for sourcing materials sustainably, structuring series with built‑in meaning, and building visibility through fairs, galleries, and word of mouth.

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Glenda Hake personal Facebook

Glenda Hake Photography and Design

Chapters

• 0:05 Artist Introduction & Gallery Feature
• 0:26 Glenda’s Background And Early Start
• 1:33 Mediums, Photography, And Gallery Distance
• 2:23 Birth Month Birds Series Concept
• 3:39 Nature Sourcing And Repurposed Materials
• 5:30 Design Work, Commissions, And Pet Portraits
• 6:30 Creative Burnout And Studio Routine
• 7:22 New Skills: Felting And Pottery Aspirations
• 9:12 Platforms, Etsy Ban, And Local Sales
• 10:15 Canfield Fair Wins And Community
• 11:31 Finding Shows And A Serendipitous Radio Link
• 12:59 How To Connect With Glenda
• 13:28 Visuals, Future Classes, And Closing

Transcript

SPEAKER_02: 0:05

Hello everyone. Welcome back to a new episode of Bruttifully Made. I'm so excited to bring to you our exhibiting artist for the month of October. So today with me, I have the wonderful Glenda Haig. Glenda, thank you so much for being with me today. Thank you for having me. Oh, you are so welcome. Glenda's work is on our wall and shelves in our gallery, and everyone that stops in, they're just blown away by the diversity of your styles and everything that you have displaying. And I'm like, that's not even everything. She's a photographer. I'm like, you guys have to like check her out, look her up. So please introduce yourself and talk about all of the variety of methods that you create.

SPEAKER_00: 0:51

Okay. So my as Tracy said, my name is Glenda Hake. Um, I'm a transient down here in Salem, Ohio. I was born and raised in Cognac, Ohio. And that is actually where my art started was when I was about five years old. I entered my first art show at the Artist Guild in Canyot and won first place. And it just sort of springboarded from there. Um, I've always been involved in arts and crafts and that sort of a thing. And I step away from it once in a while, but within the last couple of years, I've picked up my art therapy ways again and got back into a bunch of different mediums and and that sort of a thing.

SPEAKER_02: 1:33

Yeah. And I love that on the wall we have paintings, we have collage, um, you have um floral designs, you have these beautiful masks that you've decorated. There's quite a bit, and then you are you're also a photographer, a professional photographer. Correct. I'm doing a wedding uh next Saturday, actually. Oh my gosh. So you're taking on some big challenges. Wow, that is amazing. And so, like you said, you're in Salem, Ohio. So you're almost what 45 minutes from our gallery, right? Correct. Yes, it's a little about 42 to be exact. So okay, yeah. So it's not like she's right down the street. I mean, she reached out to display, and I just loved that the word is getting out and sharing her work here. No one has had anything like it in the shop, and so everyone is just blown away. I I love some of the series that you have on display, especially when you brought up the birds. So can you talk about the birds?

SPEAKER_00: 2:31

Yes. So um I started displaying locally here at a at a shop about a year ago, and I have a wall, and so I wanted to come up with some sort of a series, and I was racking my brain, and I had some suggestions for uh the birth flowers and the birthstones, which I I loved. But at the same time, I had just gotten a new bird feeder that had a camera on it. So I was inspired by the birds, and I'm like, I really want to incorporate that. So I discovered that there is actually a bird for every birth month. So I incorporated the two flowers, the bird and the birthstone collar for each each month of the year. And it it was one of my favorite series I've done.

SPEAKER_02: 3:12

I love how that developed. Yeah, everyone is they're blown away by that. And I, when you were putting the series up, I was like, I don't, I didn't even know there were birds for birthday months, and it's just been really well received. So I love that. I love how we find inspiration with the simplest things. I love the the bird feeders with the cameras too. They're kind of like, you know, they get you sucked in to learning more about all of that.

SPEAKER_00: 3:35

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02: 3:36

Oh gosh. So some of the pieces that you have on the wall, they're like nature inspired too. Do you get your inspiration from your surroundings? Like, how do you find the inspiration to keep going in these different directions?

SPEAKER_00: 3:49

I do very much so, especially with, and I didn't bring any of my fairy houses um to your display this time, but um, I do I love to repurpose and reuse stuff I find in nature. We'll go on hikes and walks, and I'll just forage and take a take bags with me. And you know, my um my boss will collect moss off the trees off his property for me. And my mom uh she harvests uh um grape vine from the tops of her trees and gives it to me. And I just love using stuff from nature to to make my designs.

SPEAKER_02: 4:23

Yeah, yeah. And you're even repurposing things that people don't need anymore. And during her reception, a couple came in and they she was talking about these bottles that she lights up and makes into these beautiful, like fairy houses. And they went home and got her an entire case of wine bottles. And I was like, here you go. Yes, absolutely. And I love that. I love repurposing things that you know we necessarily don't know how to reuse. And you've come up with some beautiful ways to do that. And I know a lot of people have said that walking in and seeing some of your more sculptural pieces. I never thought about using that for this. And oh my gosh, I I did I didn't know this would, you know, turn into the base for this. And that's just the feedback that we're getting. And it's just that's great. Yeah, they really love it and handing out your cards and you know, everyone discovering that you're not even from this area in this area, meaning like right down the street. We have a lot of people that come through the plaza and they're just like, What do you mean? She traveled all the way from Salem. I'm like, Yeah, yeah, yeah, she sure did. And it's it's you know, such a small world too, because we found out we like knew people that um, you know, between us, and it's yes, you know, I love how art connects people that way. You know, you're doing one tangent and then you find out, oh, there's another connection there. So that that's awesome. So, what other kind of art do you do? I know you also uh work what was like branding and logos.

SPEAKER_00: 5:45

Yes, yes, I do. Um, I do graphic design, I do logos, I do the brochures, the business cards, you know, the typical day-to-day stuff. Um, I've designed quite a few tattoos for people for clients. I haven't personally done the tattoos, but I'm not a tattoo artist, but um, but I have designed quite a few, which is always fun.

unknown: 6:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 6:05

Um, right now I have a big commission line of pet portraits. So I've been working on getting those done by the end of the month for a client of mine. So yeah, yeah, it's that seems very popular right now for me. So it's my little rabbit hole right now.

SPEAKER_02: 6:23

Yeah. Is there anything that you've tried in the past that you're kind of like burnt out and you need to like step away from for a little while? Um, actually, I did that with photography.

SPEAKER_00: 6:32

Um, I did I stepped back from it for most of this year, and now that fall is here, I'm booked like every weekend through the end of the year. So my gosh, that's hard.

SPEAKER_02: 6:42

That's hard to create anything else because it's gonna take you time to take those pictures and I'm probably editing and getting them back to everyone. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00: 6:50

Yes, yes, absolutely, absolutely. So, and I'm hoping too this winter I'll get back down in my studio, which is just my in my basement. It's nothing elaborate, but um, that's my comfy space. That's where you know I'm surrounded by all my materials, and I just put my Bluetooth speaker on and just go to town. Yeah, just getting great.

SPEAKER_02: 7:10

And and you also work full time, so you're doing this in your spare time. Yes, yes, I do. Yeah, no, I get it, definitely. Is there a medium that you haven't tried that you want to explore?

SPEAKER_00: 7:22

I want to try felting or like yeah, and I saw you you had a class with last night.

SPEAKER_02: 7:28

We had a oh my gosh, this has been like the time of year for felting with felt, yes. Yeah, so we had the uh wet felting scarves last night, yes, and then today we did little miniature felted necklaces with the homeschool, and then on Halloween we have a painted felting class, and then starting tomorrow for three days, we have wet felting on a ball. So felting has taken off.

SPEAKER_00: 7:53

Yes, and that's that's something I've always you know admired and have considered. And then I've all I've never thrown a pot either. Oh, so hello, yeah. That's something I would like to try.

SPEAKER_02: 8:05

Yeah, I have a wheel just looking at me at home, and my daughter, I've I told her, I said, You need to come home from Seattle and teach me how to do this. I got kilns now. I need to learn. I've got a wheel. She just laughs at me. She's like, Oh mom, that's just a tiny one. That's not even a professional one. Like, I gotta start somewhere. Right, exactly. Yeah, I'm right there with you, Glenda. I wish there was a closer like studio we could meet and learn together because I have mini wheels. We have little tiny ones that you could like fire with a like a lighter when they're done. They're like tiny pots, but yeah, nothing like a large wheel. I just I wish I don't have a space for that because it's gonna make a mess. So yeah, at home I'm gonna have to do it in the garage. I love that. So there's a lot more to learn. There's a lot more to explore.

SPEAKER_00: 8:46

Always. And I'm always looking online and getting ideas or you know, on social media, and it's like, oh, but I can use that, but I can do my spin on it. At work, they call it glendified.

SPEAKER_01: 8:57

That's awesome. Yep. I love that you're an adjective.

SPEAKER_02: 9:01

Yes, yes. Oh, that's awesome. Oh, so if anyone wants to look at your work, do you have it for sale on any platforms um online? I don't actually. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00: 9:14

Yeah, yeah. Um, I was banned from Etsy, so I can no longer get on there. Really?

SPEAKER_02: 9:19

I don't even know if I I mean, is that a story you want to share? I mean, that's crazy. I know a lot of people though that have been.

SPEAKER_00: 9:25

I and I really don't know why I was banned. They told me I violated something, and it's like, but I had it up for the longest time and I was doing sales and everything was fine. Then all of a sudden I got banned and with no explanation.

SPEAKER_02: 9:38

Yeah, that's exactly what's happened. Some of my friends, and I'm just like, this is making us and there's been today, for some reason, so many people posting on social media how they're leaving that platform and starting their websites to to reach out to their consumers now. I'm yes, yes, so there's been a shift.

SPEAKER_00: 9:57

Oh, yeah, definitely. No, and I the farthest I go is just posting stuff on my own personal Facebook page, and you know, I've I've generated sales that way, and then like I said, I'm I'm in the shop uptown here in Salem at Reach for the Stars. Okay. But other than that, I really don't advertise a lot, you know, it's just a lot of word of mouth, and then also entering in the fair. I was just gonna start mentioning that.

SPEAKER_02: 10:22

So you have ventured your work in the Canfield Fair. And if anyone is not from Ohio, Canfield Fair is the largest county fair in the state.

SPEAKER_00: 10:30

Yes, yes, and I have competed about the last five years. I generally enter between 12 to 14 pieces. Uh, this year, out of the 14 pieces, I earned 13 ribbons.

SPEAKER_02: 10:41

That's tremendous.

SPEAKER_00: 10:42

Um, I have been discovered by different people that have wanted me to do work for them because of the fair. Um, they haven't necessarily purchased my products, but it was a springboard for me to do other work for them.

SPEAKER_02: 10:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 10:57

So it's it was, it's and it's a great artist community in the in the Canfield Fair. The arts and crafts is huge, huge, huge, huge. And you meet so many, so many interesting people.

SPEAKER_02: 11:09

Wow.

SPEAKER_00: 11:09

So yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 11:10

I love that. Yeah, you were educating me on that. I have never been involved in the county fairs, and so you were sharing that, and I just thought that was just fascinating. And I love that.

SPEAKER_00: 11:19

And I think it's great too. You don't have to live in Mahoney County. I mean, I don't. I live in you know, Colombiana, so they don't, you know, it's not pigeonholed. So there's people from all over that that enter, which is nice.

SPEAKER_02: 11:31

Yeah. So how do you discover the shows to enter? Because you said you entered your first show at five years old, and then you seem to, you know, find these programs to share your work. How are you finding those?

SPEAKER_00: 11:42

So I actually last year, last year, 20 23 or 24, I purchased a craft and art directory PDF. I found this girl online and you could download it for like, I don't know, it was like$15,$25, something like that. And it covered the entire state of Ohio. And she also does Pennsylvania and I think New York. And um, so I just started with that list and just started going through and highlighting, and then I just started contacting and emailing and went from there.

SPEAKER_02: 12:15

Wow, that's not how you found me, is it? No, I actually heard your interview on the radio on my way to work.

SPEAKER_00: 12:22

No way! Oh my gosh, it's probably with Matt, right? Yeah, yeah. And as soon as I got to work, I came in, I turned on my computer, and I sent you an email.

SPEAKER_02: 12:30

Yeah, that is the best. I'm gonna have to reach out to Pantone and tell him that story. That is awesome. Wow, and that's a radio station here in Canton and it reaches everywhere.

SPEAKER_00: 12:41

Yes, yes, and it just and I I usually listen to iHeart, and for some reason I just had the radio on that day. And it's like, well, it was meant to be.

SPEAKER_02: 12:49

Those kids gonna totally, totally. My favorite word is serendipity, it's my favorite movie. So trust me, I've I I feel that in to my bones all the time. So yes, absolutely. Oh gosh. So I know you don't really have a place that you sell online, but how can people find you? Uh are there any social media platforms, or is it just your personal that you're on? Are you sure you're well?

SPEAKER_00: 13:09

I I have my Glenda Haig photography and design Facebook so they can contact me through that, or my personal Facebook. I have no problems with that, which is just me, obviously, Glenda Haig. But other than that, that's that's really all I have as far as contacts. So okay.

SPEAKER_02: 13:23

No, no, I'll make sure that we share links for those in the show notes so people can see that. And then also I want to share some pictures of your show and some of the things that you've sent me. So there'll be a little slideshow that's going along with this um for everyone to see on, especially on the YouTube, because YouTube is the video, and I want them to see your beautiful work because it has been such a joy to have it here. And I tried to get Glenda to teach a class, everyone. So I'm just letting you know, I did ask everybody. I can't get her to do it, but that's all right. I wonder if you're gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_00: 13:56

Maybe maybe maybe in 26, maybe after the first of the year.

SPEAKER_02: 14:00

Door is always open. You know, she can do some collage pieces or teach us a bird or something because it's beautiful. So hopefully you watch fun. Yes, come by by the end of the month so you can see her work, definitely, because everyone just ooze and owes over it when they walk in. Great. Uh well, thank you, Glenda, so much for sharing all this insight and sharing your time with me today. Well, thank you so much, Tracy. You're welcome. Take care. All right, bye.

SPEAKER_01: 14:27

Bye.