Brains+Beans | “Of Nature and Design”
Welcome to Brains+Beans — a weekly interview series that highlights the “brains” of Hanon McKendry over a cup of coffee, using local “beans.” This week’s interviewee is — champion of design — Sarah Wagle! Welcome, Sarah!
Sarah Wagle: Thank you, Chris Murphy.
C: Cheers. [clink] What I have here today is the El Salvador Pacamara from Switchback Coffee Roasters. This coffee reminded me of you because the high-end coffees from El Salvador are largely owned by small producers and families — families that work together and gain support through Fair Trade; this small batch, “farm-y” vibe reminds me of you!
S: [laughs] Well, I do have a family and a garden — and Switchback is my favorite!
C: Mine too. Let’s get started with some questions …
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LEAST FAVORITE COLOR?
Periwinkle.
C: What’s periwinkle? Pink?
S: Periwinkle is the color you hate to wear as a bridesmaid; it’s like a purple-ish blue — reminds me of bad weddings.
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TRICYCLE, UNICYCLE, OR BURRO?
Tricycle — no wait — I will go with burro. I’m not an animal person, but a burro seems like a worldly traveler’s means of getting around.
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FAVORITE COFFEE DRINK?
I wouldn’t say I have a particular favorite drink, but I really like good foam — foam that is dense, not airy, and will sit on your coffee for the entire time you are drinking it. [laughs] I could probably just have a cup of foam and be happy.
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SPEAKING OF “FATTENING FOODS” — CHURRO, SOPAPILLA, OR FUNNEL CAKE?
Funnel cake. I think it is really fun how they are made — watching the batter drizzle into a giant vat of oil; then it organically becomes this monster …
C: A “spaghetti monster” type of thing!
S: Yeah! Then they take it out with the tongs and put powdered sugar on it. I like watching it “come alive.”
C: I feel the same way about cotton candy. When I watch it, I’m always like, “WHERE IS THIS COMING FROM?! MAGIC!”
[laughter]
C: I wonder what the first person who discovered cotton candy must have thought.
S: I feel that those things have to be an accident — just like funnel cake. I bet somebody accidentally knocked over the batter into a pan of oil and made funnel cake — then they probably thought, “Huh! I could sell this!”
C: I can’t imagine being the first person to taste cotton candy.
S: Can I tell a story about cotton candy?
C: Absolutely.
S: Well, throughout the course of my life, I have spent around 6 months in Papua New Guinea. At one point, we were in a small village where there was a Bible-translating community and we were staying the night. There were tons of Westerners and the village was having a “fair” of sorts. We had our translator with us and he had never tried cotton candy.
People there are very agricultural, so they never have processed or artificial foods, mostly just fruits, vegetables, rice … the things that come from the ground. They do grow sugarcane, but still, it is a natural thing.
Anyway, he tried the cotton candy and [laughs] had no idea what to do with it! I can’t honestly say if he liked it, or not. I think it was just so foreign to him that he didn’t know what to do. He was 35 years old and had never tried cotton candy until that moment — or Dr. Pepper.
C: Dr. Pepper?
C: Yes. The Westerners in Papua New Guinea missed it so much that they would fly it in.
C: Was there a huge Dr. Pepper plane that dropped off stacks of cans connected to giant parachutes?
C: [laughs] No. The American compounds will fly it in.
C: Oh, that makes sense.
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AN ANONYMOUS INDIVIDUAL JUST LEFT YOU HIS/HER INHERITANCE — $1 MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF CHEWING GUM AND A HELICOPTER. WHAT IS YOUR FIRST MOVE?
[laughs] A million dollars worth of chewing gum?!
C: And a helicopter.
S: Well, I like to think of myself as somewhat entrepreneurial. I would try to find a place in need of $1 million worth of gum, then I would make a profit off of it. Is this old gum, or new gum? Is it a stockpile in a warehouse?
C: Good question. I would say, the gum is fresh. There is no use in storing an inheritance of gum if it’s stale — the value would be nothing.
S: My first move would likely be to talk with Costco — they could peddle that gum really fast — or the gum company itself, then offer the product at a lower cost than production in the factory.
C: Well, is it valued based off manufacturing cost? Or by store price?
S: Hmm, that sounds like a question you should know the answer to!
C: I know! I didn’t think we were going to dive so deep into this topic!
[laughter]
S: Were you expecting something more creative? Maybe, I chew all the gum and stick it on the helicopter, creating the next art movement of gum on objects … the thought of that makes my jaw hurt!
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YOU GET TO CHOOSE ONE ITEM OUT OF YOUR GARDEN THAT BEST REPRESENTS YOU — WHAT IS IT?
Aw, that’s a really good question!
Okay, I would say my sunflowers. I am tall — so are they! This spring I was taken aback by their “opening up.” Have you ever looked at the symmetry of a sunflower at its center? It’s phenomenal — an immaculately, perfectly ordered thing.
I love order — that’s a big part of why I love design; it uses order to make things beautiful.
The other thing that I love about sunflowers is that they follow the light. I would like to say that I follow the “light” in life, as well — wherever it leads.
C: Wow. Have you thought about this before? That’s a good answer!
S: [laughs] No! This is the first time; it’s the coffee, I am waking up!
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WHY DO YOU BIKE TO WORK? IS IT BECAUSE OF THE ENVIRONMENT — OR THE FEEL OF IT?
I love the environment — but honestly, that is probably at the bottom of the list of reasons for why I bike. For me, biking brings a lot of clarity. As a wife and mother, things can be hectic in the morning, so my bike ride is a chance to clear my mind before work. I also love the feeling of the wind on my face — and that I am outside experiencing the world differently for a few minutes.
C: Do you think, as a society, we approach the environmental movement backwards? I wonder, if it would be more effective to focus on the experiential side of biking, rather than telling people “no cars!” or making people feel bad.
Everyone has their motivation for doing things, so a diversified message could definitely help. We are all so busy. Personally, I can’t imagine getting a gym membership to do something in front of a T.V. that I could do outside.
It takes effort to go on a bike ride, but it’s beautiful and refreshing as well. I think an experiential message could definitely help, especially with those who are “wound up” by work and life.
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WHAT IS YOUR MOTIVATION IN DESIGN?
Many designers love design because they view it as “art.”
I have always loved art, but I also find myself asking, “What’s the point … beyond self-expression?”
I love that I can use my gift for art to create visual order and purpose.
Design can help build organizations, messages and brands that can impact society. The most exciting thing is that we are all moved by art and visuals — it can motivate people towards a message or cause — that, to me, is purpose and why I love design.
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HOW DO YOU APPROACH PROJECTS, GIVEN YOUR AFFINITY FOR ORDER?
I tend to look at a project, in its many facets and chaos, and mentally create an order for the different pieces.
This ties back into my appreciation for the sunflower — there is so much complexity in the sunflower, yet it is the order that makes it beautiful.
Not to say there isn’t beauty in the chaos of art.
We are all given our own specific artistic talents; mine just happens to be more in the shaping of chaos to make order and understanding — make it digestible for all audiences to appreciate and give it a clear purpose.
C: Interesting. Well, it fits, considering that even your garden is a creative expression which demands a certain order — and has a purpose.
S: I do art at home as well, but most of the work tends to be for someone else! I like to make artwork as a gift — something that makes a friend or family member feel special. There tends to always be a purpose, just like my garden — it produces fresh food and is also beautiful.
C: This topic makes me think about the spectrum of artist versus the population. On one side, there is the individual who loves art for the paint, the texture, the brush and personal experience — on the other side, the major population, not always able to grasp the self-expressive artwork. You seem to fall right in the middle, a bridge between the two perspectives.
S: Yeah, that fits well. That being said, I really do appreciate abstract art — much more than realism. I like that abstract involves something beyond what the artist can see, whether it’s color or a different subject added into the scene. I know this is very contradictory [laughs], but I do appreciate the far end of the spectrum, as well!
C: No, that’s good! It’s important as an artist to appreciate other forms. You don’t want to get stuck in a single-faceted perspective on art.
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IS THERE A BALANCE BETWEEN FUNCTIONAL AND EXPRESSIVE?
Yes. I would say it is the balance between the mind and the heart.
Design is artistic, but integrates rationality to accomplish the connection with the audience. For me, it is harder to create from self-expression, as I do love the mental side of it.
I love people — that drives me to create art that can “relate” and has purpose. If art is an expression of the heart, and people represent a big part of my heart, then naturally, I will want to create artwork for others.
That’s why I like design — because it is a beautiful creation that also has the ability to move an individual, or an industry, and create change.
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ROASTER | SWITCHBACK Coffee Roasters
Location: 330 N. Institute Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Web: www.switchbackroasters.com
Bean/Origin: El Salvador Pacamara — Apaneca Ilamatepec region
Acidity: Light-medium acidity
Aroma: Honey
Body: Medium
Flavor: Mango, guava and cinnamon
Rating: A-
Brewing method: Chemex with paper filter
Grind: Burr, medium to medium-coarse
