After working in the field of education for 10 years, Cynthia Waters took a leap of faith and made her side hustle her main hustle.
Dallas native Cynthia Waters left Texas to pursue her dream of helping others and attended the prestigious Spelman College where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree. Waters returned to Dallas to teach at the elementary and middle school levels for seven years while pursuing her master’s in counseling which she received from Argosy University. Once she received her school counseling certification from Dallas Baptist University, she became the lead counselor at L.G. Pinkston High School in the Dallas Independent School District. She served in this position for five years before leaving the education field to pursue a different career path.
For more than 15 years, Waters designed and created beautiful art and at times worked alongside her brother doing home renovations. Nine years ago, she decided to pursue these efforts full-time, and Cyn Customs was created. Cyn Customs is a full-scale home renovation and custom art company, specializing in interior and exterior design plans and implementation. In addition, Waters is an artist who specializes in portraits, abstracts and home design art.
Waters prides herself on being owner of a home renovation/design firm in which she does much of her own construction. She has a small staff of three men who work alongside her. She does 90 percent of the designs and of course all the art is customized for each client and completed by her alone. She touts her company as a “one-stop shop” where Waters works with homeowners to design the space which her company then fully implements the plans. Many of the concepts and the art are one-of-a-kind pieces.
When asked about the career change, Waters explained, “I have always enjoyed creating and designing and have had a fascination with the arts. I enjoy the gratification that comes with transforming a space.” She says the pathway to where she now is has not been easy and it was an unexpected step forward, but she loves every minute of it. “The journey has been life-changing yet fulfilling and I wouldn’t change it for the world,” says Waters. Much like time, the construction/design business is constantly evolving and changing, which means there is always room for growth and learning. This business has allowed Waters’ imagination to go places she could not have anticipated, and she expects that the next five to10 years will have unlimited opportunities for creativity in the field of home renovation. Her hope is that more women will have a willingness to learn the craft and grow in it.
To read the full story, click on the cover of the June 2022 issue
