We recently connected with Jason Kelly and have shared our conversation below.

Jason, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I knew from a young age that I would happy if I did something for a living that would allow me to create because that is when I’ve always felt most grounded and fulfilled. Drawing was my first creative outlet, and it’s been a constant for as long as I can remember. Over the years, I’ve found that creating—whether it’s drawing, cutting hair, or now burning designs into hats, that brings me a sense of calm and focus, quieting my mind and fostering a peaceful state. The first time I pursued creation as a profession was when I became a Barber 16 years ago. It’s interesting though, never in a million years, would I have dreamed hats would become and avenue and canvas to share my artwork professionally. Life has a funny way of surprising you!

Jason, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a seasoned Master Barber by trade and have been in the industry for over 16 years. I started my career during the height of the hair art trend, which helped me hone my skills in precision and artistry. While that trend has since faded, the journey allowed me to build a loyal clientele and greater love for creative expression.

These days, my focus has shifted to a unique craft: hat burning. It all started one afternoon when I was wood burning a hobby I adopted earlier in life. My wife came across a photo of Lainey Wilson in a burned hat and asked if I could try burning designs into one of hers. I was hesitant—it sounded a little crazy—but I gave it a shot. She loved the result, and soon other people did too.
What really makes this special for me is how it became a family endeavor. Our two youngest kids, who were teenagers at the time, got so excited about my first burned hat that they suggested starting a business. We turned it into a teaching moment—sat down for lunch, brainstormed a name, designed a logo, and set up social media accounts. My son even helped kickstart our Instagram presence. While they’ve since moved on to pursuing their own passions, they played a big role in getting Hat Tatt Co off the ground. It really began as just a way to teach our kids how to start up a business; I didn’t really start to take it seriously until I started to see the traction we were gaining and realized there was a profitable market looking to express their own artistic yearning through wearable artwork.

Looking back, it feels like this journey was meant to be. How I got into wood burning goes back a little further to 2020 when I lost my dad to cancer. I had purchased a plain box for his urn, but it felt inadequate for the larger than life man who brought me earthside. I spent hours burning his favorite things into that box, transforming it into something deeply personal and meaningful. The process was therapeutic and deepened my love for pyrography.

What started as a deeply personal outlet evolved into creating over 500 burnt hats; each one a unique piece of art. Every project feels like an honor, whether I’m working from my own creative inspiration or collaborating with a customer’s vision. Bringing these meaningful pieces to life is a privilege I don’t take lightly.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Hat Tatt Co started as a happy accident, but building it into a business has been anything but accidental. It’s been a journey filled with challenges, learning curves, and plenty of early mornings and late nights. Balancing this new venture with our existing businesses and responsibilities has been no small feat. This venture is completely different from the industry we have been in for 20 years and is still a fairly new trend so there isn’t a lot of examples to follow. While we have had to learn a whole new world of retail, e-commerce, social media, we have also had to forge our own way in a sense. Gathering inspiration from milliners, boutiques and other businesses even though none of those are particularly what we are.

My wife and I both have full clientele’s in our other businesses—she’s a nail artist and also a full-time student, and I also coach high school softball. On top of that, we have four adult children who keep our lives full and dynamic. Launching this business amidst all of that has tested our resilience and determination at every turn.

Learning to leverage social media for marketing has been a journey in itself, and running our Etsy store has been a massive challenge—one that my wife has taken on with incredible dedication. Last year, we pushed even further, participating in over 30 in-person markets to bring our creations directly to our community.

Despite the challenges, we’ve remained committed to growing this business, step by step. Every hat we burn, every sale we make, and every new lesson we learn is a testament to our perseverance and belief in what we’ve created. It’s been exhausting but rewarding, and every sale feels like validation of the work we’ve poured into this beautiful venture.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My wife often jokes that we’ve “handcuffed” ourselves to Instagram. It was the first social media platform we used to share our work, and it remains a vital tool for keeping our customers informed about what we’re doing and where we’ll be next.

Once we established a consistent posting schedule on Instagram, we linked it to Facebook and Pinterest, which in turn feeds into our Etsy store. That’s why she says we’re “handcuffed” to Instagram—because even if we didn’t have one follower or a specific reason to post there, it still drives content across all our other channels.

While I wouldn’t call myself a social media expert by any means, we’ve learned a thing or two along the way. First and foremost, don’t underestimate the power of consistency. My best advice is to carve time out of your schedule to batch-create content and schedule out posts. It’s a great way to stay relevant within the platform, without feeling overwhelmed and consumed by social media. Social media can be a beast, but it’s also an incredible tool to grow your brand. And don’t be afraid to experiment—you never know what might resonate with your audience until you try.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hattattco.etsy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hattatt.co?igsh=MXB3ajFnZWo1dWtyYQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HatTattCo?

Image Credits

Feature photo:
Photographer: Seventh Lens Images

The photo with the red hair customer wearing one of our burned hats:
Model: Cassandra Rose Cooper
Photographer: Nicole Fasano